The Honeymoon Experience

On 26 August 2019, I flew to Dubai. I arrived at a Hotel. The check-in process was smooth. I headed to my room. And there was a delightful surprise. There were floral arrangements. Red rose petals were everywhere on the carpet, bed, and bathroom tiles. There was a big bouquet on the table. Towels were forming a big heart on the bed. And, to top it all, there was a chocolate cake! I thought to myself, am I in the right room? I got out to check the room’s number. It was my room. I thought there must be a mistake. 

I looked around. There was a letter next to the cake. It was from General Manager: 

“Welcome to X Hotel! I trust you will find your stay with us both pleasant and comfortable … Congratulations on your honeymoon. Thank you for choosing to spend it with us. We wish you a blissful life together and an enjoyable stay with us. If there’s anything you will need, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

I immediately dialed ‘0’ for the Reception Area. I told them I had received the honeymooners’ room by mistake. Do you want me to move to another room? Or will you make similar arrangements in another room? Their reply was: “You can stay in the room. We’ll take care of the arrangements.” I pleaded. The honeymooners’ could arrive at any minute. Take my room. They insisted I stay in the room. 

If I were them, I would have jumped on the opportunity to change my room for two reasons:

(1) That way, they can save the associated costs of the arrangements and the staffing hours of making it again.

(2) Most importantly, only have the guests arrive with the requested arrangements. 

Think about it. The bride will be upset. The groom and bride will be upset. And there are better starts to a honeymoon or married life than this one. 

Let’s take each of them separately. 

The groom paid to make the floral arrangements and the cake to please his newlywed wife. He wanted to appear romantic and come across as “Prince Charming.” Now, no more. Even if the hotel prepares another room for them, the surprise element has vanished and can’t be restored. 

As for the bride, if she’s just like most young women, she lost the opportunity to share the floral arrangements and the cake on her social media accounts. And trust me, that’s not a good thing. We live in an era where people like to show off and brag about their blessings and beyond. Now, we can’t say with certainty that the bride and the groom bride lived happily ever after.

The hotel should have had a system to avoid making this mistake. 

Firstly, the room could have been blocked in the reservation system. 

Secondly, the reception team should be briefed on all the rooms with special requirements. 

Thirdly, the reception staff should take the initiative to address possible issues with the guests. The hotel management should know this simple fact: Great ideas require proper execution to deliver the intended results. In our case, making the guests feel special during their honeymoon. The intention was good. However, the execution was terrible.

In retrospect, I wish the reception staff had taken my offer to replace the room. And later, they rewarded me with a carrot cake, a fruit basket, or a free dinner voucher for my cooperation. That would have been a brilliant customer service story. 

If you’re wondering whether I had the chocolate cake, I did!