Bunny and I stayed
at the Embassy Suites – SeaTac; that is, not the Embassy Suites in
downtown Seattle.
Dark when we walked
out of the airport at 10.40 pm to hunt for a shuttle bus. Called for
a shuttle and went to the hotel.
The Good:
Most of my
experience with Embassy Suites is with the Embassy Suites – Santa
Clara. A Silicon Valley company put me up there when they brought me
in to interview. First time in an Embassy Suites hotel. I enjoyed the
space.
After a day of
interviews, I returned to the hotel and freshened up. As I washed my
face, my tongue said to me, "Sashimi." I heeded my tongue.
Descended to the
reception desk where I found two young men. I asked the one on my
left if he knew a good sushi bar. He turned to his partner – a
Japanese-looking young man – and said, "Hey, Steve*, you know
a good sushi bar?"
*
Honestly I do not recall his name, but Steve popped into my head when
I thought back to that evening, and it is no more wrong than any
other name, so let's go with Steve.
Steve glared
sidelong at his partner and answered, "Yeah, the one my parents
own."
I don't know about
you, but I found this amusing. I thought, Have you two met?
Anyway, Steve
directed me to his parents' sushi bar. Even drew me a map. FYI this
was before Google. Yeah, I'm old.
Drove to the sushi
bar. Matsuri. That was its name. Means 'festival'. Yeah, I speak
Japanese. No, I don't read Japanese. Well, maybe eight words.
Enjoyed the food and
the ambiance at Matsuri. Steve's mom played hostess. She saved a seat
for me at the bar. Evidently Steve called her to make a place for me.
Steve did well.
When I got home, I
wrote a letter to the president of Embassy Suites to praise Steve.
Had to go to the library to find who was the president of and what
was the address of Embassy Suites. FYI no worldwide web at this time.
Yeah, I'm old. Posted the letter.
Other companies
brought me to Silicon Valley for interviews. None of them put me up
in a hotel as nice as Embassy Suites. The company that did put me up
in Embassy Suites offered me a job, and I took it. Moved to Silicon
Valley.
One evening after I
moved there, my tongue said, "Sashimi." Drove to Matsuri
again.
Place was packed. No
seat open anywhere.
Steve's mom
recognized me and came running over with a big smile. DEEP bow . . .
and a handshake! "Come. Come," she said. She made all the
customers at the bar scoot together and put up another stool for me.
All the while, she called me 'Keith-sama.' If you know Japanese, you
know what a big deal that is.
I sat, ordered tako
sashimi, and cleaned my hands with the oshiburi. Big guy with a beard
next to me looked me over and said, "You must be somebody
special."
I smiled. "Must
be."
Spent many, many
happy evenings at Matsuri. That letter in praise of Steve did as much
for me as for him.
Spent many happy
evenings at Embassy Suites – Santa Clara, too. Made a habit of
spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Day there. I recall watching
the movie 'The Fugitive' for the first time there.
Stayed at other
Embassy Suites, too, but my guess is that all other stays added up
will not equal the number of my stays at Embassy Suites – Santa
Clara.
Back to Embassy
Suites – SeaTac.
Tyler worked the
desk at Embassy Suites – SeaTac. I talked to Tyler on the phone
before we booked our stay, and he impressed me with his local
knowledge. Met him the morning after we arrived and he impressed me
again. The man knows his job and more. He went beyond his job to help
me while I was a guest at his hotel. Outstanding individual effort. I
am confident if I book the Embassy Suites – SeaTac again, Tyler
will take care of me.
Jon drives the
shuttle bus during the day. Every time I saw Jon, he brightened my
day. Big smile at all times. Cheerful. Helpful. Went out of his way
to make our day better. Outstanding individual effort.
It is the people who
make an experience good or bad. Tyler and Jon made my experience at
Embassy Suites - SeaTac good.
Honorable mention:
Julia and the
breakfast crew. Each of them was pleasant, cheerful, and good at
their job. I name only Julia because she was the only one whose name
tag I saw. The others had their backs to me while they worked the
grill. Good food made by good people.
Maria with
housekeeping greeted me with a smile when she brought us extra
towels. Humored me by conversing in Spanish, too.
My wife is a
professional chef, and she sees things I do not. The woman who bussed
tables impressed her. My wife tipped her for her good work.
The Bad:
I like to think I am
a patient man, but after two long flights, TSA Kibuki-theater, and
wandering through SeaTac airport to find a way out, my patience
evaporated.
The courtesy phone
to call for a hotel shuttle at SeaTac Airport is ridiculously and
unnecessarily complicated. I do not know, but I suspect it is the
product of the fevered imagination of a local government committee
with zero experience in design.
With some study –
believe me, after two flights, clearing customs, the
drunk-with-authority hassle of TSA Kibuki-theater, and treks through
three airports, I was tired and in no temper to study – and three
failed attempts, I got through to our hotel and called for their
shuttle bus.
The hotel clerk told
me to go to D4. Or C1. Somewhere.
"No. You tell
the driver to come to me. I'm at," I looked up, "C3."
Clerk said, "Okay.
Look for a van with Embassy Suites on a paper in the window."
I swear to God that
is what she said. Aye and begorra, a white van showed up with an
eight-and-a-half-by-eleven sheet of paper taped to the front window
on the passenger side with 'Embassy Suites' in large, bold letters
printed on it.
Embassy Suites.
Look. You are not 'Joe and Mabel's Roadside Cottages'. Pay to get
your van painted with your name. All the other hotels have their vans
painted that way. I counted two off-airport parking lots with
shuttles that were painted with their broadsides. Get with the cool
kids.
If you have not read
Nick Stephenson, I recommend you do:
https://www.yourfirst10kreaders.com/.
Sign up for Nick's emails. They contain droll musings on his
children, his life, and his fancies. They also contain useful,
valuable information.
One series of emails
Nicks sent reflected on his family trip to Disneyland France (the
cold one) in December 2020. He analyzed Disney as a business. His
analysis boiled down to this: Disney works hard to make the Disney
experience frictionless for its guests.
You should strive to
do the same.
Christ and Buddha, I
should strive to do the same.
Can I explain what
'frictionless' means? Nick said it means 'stress free'.
The shuttle to
Embassy Suites was not frictionless.
The ride was good.
No problem. Getting in the hotel sucked.
Our driver unloaded
our bags and strolled over to sit and chat with someone. We took our
bags and went to the entrance.
I tried to open the
door. No joy. Then I notice the sign that read 'DOOR IS LOCKED AFTER
11 PM'. Guess what time it was. I rattled the door, turned and called
to the driver to open the door for us. A clerk ambled to the entrance
and unlocked the door.
Embassy Suites –
SeaTac, when guests arrive late, GET THEM IN THE DOOR! Make this the
duty of the driver.
The desk clerk told
me the hotel was full. I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo
of my Embassy Suites confirmation. Lo and behold, they did have a
room for us. We got our keycards, wife bought some instant noodles,
and we took the one working elevator to the fifth floor. Found our
room; that search was easy. Went in. Found the lights. Two full-size
beds. I ordered a suite with a single king bed. Descended to the desk
and asked the clerk to change my room.
"We're full.
Maybe I can change your room tomorrow."
Not what I wanted to
hear. Especially since I had PAID IN ADVANCE for the room I wanted.
Not frictionless.
Most definitely not frictionless.
Asked for a 5am
alarm call.
Back to the room,
unpacked, fell into bed. The Good: Comfortable bed.
Awoke at 6am. Honest
to Buddha, my first thought was, I did not get a wake-up call.
Got dressed. Left
wife asleep and went down to breakfast. Passed by the reception desk.
Clerk called me to the desk. Same clerk as before.
"What time did
you want your alarm call?"
"Five A-M."
"This is what I
wrote down." Showed me a scrap of paper with 3am and my room
number written on it. "I called then, but I wasn't sure. I heard
it ring once and hung up because I was scared I got it wrong."
I know that I will
never waste my time asking for a wake-up call at Embassy Suites
again.
Wife woke at 8am and
hurried to get to breakfast. Tyler showed up to work and – miracle
of miracles – things got smooth. Told him I had business downtown
and he told me how to get there with the least fuss. Told Tyler of my
woes and he promised to see what he could do for me while I was away.
Jon showed up and
things got brighter and easier.
Then we got on the
Light Rail and things went to shyte.
Some years ago,
there was a fire in the subway where we live. The planned reaction
did what it was designed to do, but that was not the right thing to
do.
Two hundred people
died.
Less than a year
later, a crazy man squirted lighter fluid in the aisle of a subway
car and lit it. As a result of the previous fire, the cars had been
fitted with extinguishers. Nobody died including the crazy arsonist
who was tackled by other passengers and beaten unconscious. He was
lucky that the transport cops sped to the scene and took him away.
So we were riding
the Light Rail when a crazy woman squirted light motor oil in the
aisle of the car we were in. My wife panicked 'cause she remembered
the events in our town. When the train stopped at the next station,
she herded everybody off the train and pulled the alarm. Transport
cops came and finished unloading everyone from the train. Crazy woman
hefted her belongings in a black garbage bag, swore at the cops, and
made her escape. The transport cops did not follow her.
Minutes passed.
Train left the station empty. Everybody piled into the next train,
and away we went. Minus one crazy woman.
Seattle is a failed
city. Whoever is responsible for the Light Rail is incompetent and
MUST BE FIRED. By your gross negligence, you endangered the lives of
hundreds of passengers. Worse, you endangered my wife's life.
The Ugly:
Both Tyler and Jon
spoke of the hotel manager in glowing terms. As a paying guest, my
opinion differs.
When I returned to
the hotel, Tyler was still working. He collared me and informed me
that, when he checked, I was still being charged for a king-sized bed
(!) but that he had changed that to the lower rate and added a $20
discount. He asked if I wanted to swap rooms. I told him my wife
liked the room and wanted to stay. Tyler smiled and said he would
discount my two remaining nights.
This is great
service. Where did Tyler learn to give such great service?
I cannot believe he
learned it from the hotel manager. IMO the other clerks have not been
trained at all. I doubt they can find the toilet without someone to
hold their hand.
For instance, the
night I arrived I asked the clerk if the hotel had courtesy
toiletries – including a razor – for guests. She said, 'No.' The
next morning, I asked Tyler the same question. He said, 'Of course',
turned around, and pulled out a big drawer that was filled with
toiletry packets. Grabbed one and handed it to me.
The hotel had two
elevators. One was out of service during the duration of our stay.
Never saw a workman on it. The other elevator ran hot all day every
day.
Why was there no
workman on the elevator?
This is a failure of
management.
Embassy Suites. At
the corporate level, who is responsible for employee training? Fire
him.†
Pour encourager les autres. Find the best clerks in the
company – like Tyler – and ask them 1) what they do and 2) what
is their attitude about what they do. WTSD and drill it into every
clerk in the company. Same with shuttle drivers. Those drivers are
the first contact your guests have with your company. Do they
represent you well or ill?
Best if you follow
each of these top performers with a videographer all day and record
everything they do so you can figure out what makes the great
emploees great and share that with others.
The Embassy Suites
hotel manager must be doing something right to generate such loyalty
in employees like Tyler and Jon, but I did not see it.
The money question:
Will I book another stay at the Embassy Suites – SeaTac?
For Tyler, Jon,
Julia and the breakfast crew, and Maria, yes, I will. Great people
make a great experience. Maybe next time my wife will swim in the
pool.
Coming up: Reviews
of Dingfelder's Delicatessen and its food. That's right. Reviews.
Plural.