The customer isn’t always right.
That’s the message from a Ramada hotel employee who read my recent recommendations about how to complain more effectively. So what’s going on behind the scenes when a complaint comes in? And is it true that Ramada has a quota for customer grievances?
I asked, and my Ramada insider answered. Here’s the full interview.
Q: What’s the fastest way to get a complaint resolved at a Ramada hotel?
Ramada Insider: Don’t complain. Just kidding.
Seriously, the fastest way to get a complaint resolved is to talk about the situation to a worker on the property and seeing what can be done to resolve it. Usually, that ends up in some form of compensation. That’s all that will satisfy some people.
Q: When someone complains about your property, what’s happening behind the scenes?
Ramada Insider: If a call comes in, we will try and get the guest to talk to a manager or manager on duty to see if anything can be done at that time. If a manager is not available, they can leave a message so that he or she can call back. We listen to the complaint and apologize for any deficiency in their stay and assure them that the matter will be looked into — and we always mean that.
Sometimes a guest is satisfied there, other times they want some form of compensation from either 10 percent off [that we guarantee] to a full nights stay off, and sometimes a full stay free. That just happened.
Q: What if it comes through corporate?
Ramada Insider: Corporate will briefly sum it all up and fax it to us, where it is reviewed. A manager can call, write or email the guest and all of the above happens. It usually takes much longer on this level as well as a lot more effort to resolve.
Q: Can you describe the relationship between your corporate parent and the hotel when it comes to complaints?
Ramada Insider: The customer is always right. That’s corporate Ramada’s belief. It doesn’t always work for us.
Q: I’ve heard that franchises have a quota for complaints. How does that work?
Ramada Insider: That’s true. The number is determined by how many rooms were sold in the previous year (at least for Ramada hotels…shhhh). I don’t know our number, but once it’s over the number the hotel is charged for just processing the complaint — whether it is legit or not.
Q: Does it matter if the complaint is filed by email or phone? Sent to you directly or to the corporate office?
Ramada Insider: We recommend calling the hotel first trying to get it settled because the hotel is where the problem occurred, and that is where the problem needs to be fixed. Calling or e-mailing both work equally as well.
Calling corporate makes us scared most of the time that the guest is extremely upset and we’re upset that they didn’t call the hotel first because usually it’s just minor.
Q: How about contacting a manager?
Ramada Insider: This usually works fine. Freaking out and yelling from the guest usually will end up in a big argument. Put it this way: Would you want to help anyone who’s treating you badly? Not really. Let us take notice of your problem with the hotel and we will find the best way possible to help you out. We want our guests to return. We really do.
Q: Do managers ever de-escalate a complaint — in other words, if I have the email of your manager and send it to him or her directly, how often would the complaint get kicked back to the customer service folks?
Ramada Insider: Other hotels have specific departments (i.e. customer service, front desk, reservations, etc). However, at our hotel it’s just front desk and management. Basically, if a complaint comes in, the manager will try to take care of it, but if he or she is unable to tend to it at some time, then one of us will try and take care of it. We all try our best for guest satisfaction.
Q: What do you think should hotel guests know about the inner workings of complaints, and the relationship between a hotel franchise and hotel chain, that would make them more effective at filing a
successful complaint?
Ramada Insider: A guest should file a complaint and word it in a way where he or she is actually concerned about the hotel’s problem instead of just wanting us to fix that one experience. It makes the guest seem self-centered and extremely picky. Also, avoid listing out problems, like a laundry list.
Q: Do you think the system is fair? If not, how should it be changed?
Ramada Insider: I personally don’t think the system is fair because guests have taken advantage of it. The customer is not always right.
I’m not joking when I say that a guest was complaining so much about a small crack in the tile that we gave the guest 10 percent off. Corporate offices need to understand that some people here cannot be made happy, no matter what happens.
Guests can try to see a hotel from our point of view. Imagine us, normal people like yourself, working here trying to make your vacation better. That’s what a hotel is all about. We will help guests in any way we can — however, it would help if some guests put themselves in our position as well.
Complaints take so much time for the guest and the hotel itself to settle through corporate. Calling the hotel and talking to, not yelling at, a manager – writing works too – can get your situation resolved and respect will be earned on both sides. Some people just need to vent, that’s all.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Heh ironic, I just had an issue myself recently with a Ramada hotel and they dealt with it quite quickly. I guess it all depends on the franchise.
Well that was interesting! In my experience Ramada International is both arrogant and unresponsive..
They “won” when they got my money for a vacation. That was in 1991 and to date I’ve yet to stay at a Ramada Inn and I average 160 hotel room night per year.
The sour taste of poor customer service lingers long after the sweetness of loss price is gone
A Ramada in San Francisco tried to get me to sign a blank Amex charge slip upon check in. I refused and they seemed to think it was required. When I pressed the matter, he said it was “for my convenience” upon checking out. Since it was before 6 pm, I cancelled my stay and went somewhere else. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on hotels since, and not one cent at Ramada.
Think twice before you try to force someone to sign a “black check”.
I was, unfortunately, a guest of the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Anaheim for the Solar International conference in 2009. After a long day of work one of my co-workers and I had the displeasure of returning to a room that was contaminated with feces. Some sort of sewer leak or something. It was horrible. The worst part was that our stuff had been marinating in the smell all day. Suffice it to say I have a low tolerance for feces in hotels. I immediately called the front desk and complained. They came to the room, recognized the extent of the problem, and switched us to another room, but refused to extend us any further courtesy. When I complained to the manager, Chris Jerger, that this was unacceptable on principle (please keep in mind I was not paying for the room myself) he became agitated and aggressive with me, even threatened to call the police on me for having the audacity to complain in the lobby about the feces contamination in the room. Here are some of his direct quotes which I wrote down on my phone in front of him in real time: “please disappear”, “get out of here”, “there ain’t nobody else [to complain to] here”, “I’m out of here in 3 minutes, get lost”, “you’re really breaking my heart”, and my personal favorite, “go put on your feces smelling pajamas and go to sleep.” Please keep in mind I kept my cool the entire time, but I don’t think this is either acceptable treatment of a customer by any business in the hospitality sector, or appropriate conduct by a manager. In Chris’ defense, I will say that he was very young and obviously lacking in proper training as a manager, so I will chalk this up more to Ramada than him personally, even though he was intolerably rude. So just take this as a warning folks, this hotel has problems with feces contamination and the staff is undertrained. You are probably better off staying somewhere else.
;My first inclination would be to bolt; contactBBB;DEPT OF HEALTH; ATTORNEY GENERAL ; CEO OF RAMADA; JUST keep spreading the word; this socalled manager is more than just inept; contact local newspapers ; do all the damage youcan to this Ramada; force them to forever close their doors; guess the customer is right in this case.
again solat; the incident is not just a bug in aroom; it is a very serious health issue; do all in your power to anhilate this hotel; even place it on trip advisor.thanks to your report I will never stay at a RAMADA PERIOD