Outside Cuba, November 1st, 2007

Dear Trip Advisor user and reviewer,

Thanks very much for your observation re. the non smoking area. In our lobby and lobby bar area we have separated areas for smokers and non smokers. Just out of curiosity I’ve checked with the bar staff and indeed they feel uncomfortable to inform the guests that smoking is prohibited in the non smoking area. There is not much I can add to this, but it is an interesting issue for our training sessions with the staff. I guess the main problem is that they just don’t want to say ¨no¨ to the guest. We will work on this and try to be a bit more enforcing. Needless probably to add that Cuba is famous for its cigars and that we do have loads of guests who enjoy smoking their Cuban cigar while sipping a mojito…and space in the lobby is limited, so hard to avoid that guests ignore the non smoking section. Thanks for pointing this out and let me see what we can do about this.

Hospitable Regards,
NH Parque Central

Maurits M.X. Looijen
Director of Sales and Marketing
sales@nh-hoteles.cu

Outside Cuba, November 1st, 2007

Dear Trip Advisor user and reviewer,

Thanks for posting your rather extensive review. It obviously seems we have a problem here and in order to inform all other TA readers and users, I feel obliged to post my side of the story here. Unfortunately I am not in the hotel right now, so I had to gather my information by phone and email. For the convenience of all TA readers and users, I will give my comments point by point.

However, first of all I would like to make something very clear to each and every TA user and reader: I am NOT the manager of the hotel, but only the director of sales and marketing, and as such, it is one of my obligations to supervise, together with my general manager, all the comments which appear on this site and above all, to answer them.

And no, like another TA reviewer mentioned, my answers are not a propaganda tool: I just feel that it is my obligation to answer the TA reviewers. Since they took the time to post a review, the least I can do is answer to them. And yes…sometimes I really don’t have an excuse, and I am the first one to admit. Nobody is perfect and we make mistakes as well, and it is my job to see to it that the hotel staff can learn from their mistakes. As far as I can see, there is nothing wrong with that.

As I can read in your review, you are apparently a travel business professional: So here is my first doubt….If you are a travel professional and so well aware of the existence and importance of the Trip Advisor website and other related sites…why did you not ask for me in person? My name is all over this website and by now everybody knows that I am always in the hotel to lend a willing ear and in case of emergency, the hotel knows where to contact me.??? On Friday October 6th, I was in the hotel, so you could have easily asked to speak to me and I am sure that none of this would have ever happened. But since you didn’t, I assume I now have the right to clear things up for the information to all other TA users:

You wrote:

1.I walked in to the lobby and the doorman asked me where I was going, which I replied that I need to use the washroom then have sangria. The doorman then told me in annoyed way that the washrooms are for guests only and said that I can use the Plaza Hotel next door washroom facility then comeback for Sangria??

Correct… our washrooms in the lobby are not public washrooms. Can you imagine being in the middle of Old Havana and lending your washroom as a public washroom..? So the answer given by our doorman was the correct one as far as the hotel procedures are concerned. Of course I am not aware of the details in which the way he told you that you couldn’t use the washroom. I wasn’t present, so no comments on this. The only thing I can tell you is that the doorman, who was on duty that Friday, has been with us since the opening of the hotel and is known as a very professional person.

2.Upon finishing my nature call I got really upset about the incidence and walked back to Parque Central and decided to speak to the manager. I was told the manager was not available to non guests.

OK, so you were upset and decided to speak to the manager: I have spoken by phone to Aynell, (the person to whom you refer to), and her story was a bit different. I know Aynell, and I know when she is telling the correct story. I only want to comment that management of the hotel is always available to talk to anybody, being this guest or non-guest.

3.I then asked to speak to anybody that was in charge because I was not leaving and proceeded to wait at the bar. After 20 minutes a lady showed up and identified herself as front desk manager on duty.

Sorry, but hardly possible: In my hotel nobody has to wait for 20 minutes until somebody shows up. Within 5 minutes, my General Manager or myself are available to assist anyone who wants to talk with the management.

4.I advised her that I am in the tourism industry and I have sent many clients to the property and that I had high regards about the property and the fact that the hotel manager is the only manager in Cuba who replies to customer complaints in Trip advisor. She then replied that she is aware of Trip advisor and she is proud that they maintain number one.

Well, what is there to say…you being a travel professional should know that if you work in the tourism industry, not always things work out the way they should. In this case, it is absolutely not relevant that I am proud or not of my position in Trip Advisor. Our aim is to satisfy our guests and Trip Advisor is just the objective tool we need to see what our guests think of us. And btw, the fact that I am the only one responding is not relevant either. I rather not compare myself to others. I am representing the NH Parque Central and all TA reviewers deserve an answer. If other hotels don’t….well, sorry for them.

5.She then proceeded to apologize and advise that I did not look like a tourist and the fact that my host (who is local) did not help. She also continued to say that the hotel facility is exclusively for guests staying at the hotel.

Your host was a local…I don’t see the point here: Everybody can make use of the hotel public facilities, being this a guest or a local. Of course the hotel maintains the right of admission and if somebody, local or tourist, is not properly dressed or whatsoever, we can refuse entrance. At the end, we as a hotel are responsible for the protection of our guests and Havana is like any other big city in the world…It wouldn’t be the first time that our guests get scammed by a local. We just want to avoid that.

6.I advised her that as a colleague in the tourism industry I would suggest if they train the doorman to be more careful and learn how to identify who is a guest and who is local in order to avoid this type of incidence. She said sure.

Thank you very much for this advice. However, our staff is very well trained by hotel professionals and they know very well how to do their job. As said before, maybe tactics might be improved, but then again, I wasn’t present during the event.

7.I proceeded to leave the hotel and advised the "manager" that not only I was going to write my complaint on Trip advisor, but also on Vietualtourist.com and LonelyPlanet.com, she then stopped and said that her "boss" will not be happy about the comment because he enjoys the number one status on Trip advisor and she insisted to have a seat and have Sangria on the house. Well after the drink I was shown the bill for 2 sangrias. I did not complain, I simply paid the 12 dollar sangria and walked out with a slap on my face. As far I am concerned this hotel no longer exists in my hotel database and will no longer recommend to my clients. I also briefed my staff.

Very remarkable: As said before..you being a travel professional: Do you really think if people start threatening with posting their negative comments on Trip Advisor or any other related website, that we would offer them complementary drinks on the house? Sorry, but I don’t go for that. It is true however that all the staff in the hotel, (from housekeeping to upper management), is aware of the importance I give to Trip Advisor. All comments, positive or negative, are being transmitted by myself on a weekly basis to all staff in the hotel. So they very well know that I would not be pleasantly amused to hear that people are threatening us to complain on Trip Advisor. Like said before, TA is a platform for objective comments and it is my job to answer to the comments. But I will never, ever allow people to blackmail me with that. OK..you have had a negative, or positive experience? Go ahead, and publish it on Trip Advisor, at the end..that´s what the website is for. And after your comment has been posted, I will reply. So that leaves me with the doubt, you being a travel professional, why did you mention that you were going to write your complaint?

Conclusion: As much as I want to please everybody and keep everybody happy, this case just shows us once again that in the hospitality and tourism industry, it is very hard to keep everybody satisfied. All the guest experiences are very subjective and it is my job to give an objective answer. And like said before: If we did make a mistake, I am the first one to admit and to apologize if necessary. I am sorry to hear that we are no longer in your database, but I am also sure that you will be able, as being a travel professional, to find amplitude of alternative hotels in Havana.


Hospitable Regards,
NH Parque Central

Maurits M.X. Looijen
Director of Sales and Marketing
sales@nh-hoteles.cu