i don’t know what’s going on recently. from my car mysterious breaking, to the delivery guys breaking a very expensive window at my friends condo and denying it, to my very bad experience today. i had to drop off a photo cd at my Japanese friends hotel today as i promised. i pull up to the front desk and waited as the lady gave directions to a japanese hotel guest. he was asking how to get on the freeway to go north from the hotel. guess what she said? “go to the alawai, turn left, then turn right on mccully, then turn left onto the freeway. what???? that guy got lost for sure!!! the front desk lady looked like she was in a rush to get the guy out and lost. then it was my turn. she tells me “yes sir” with a grouchy face. i asked if i could leave a CD at the front desk for my friend. i even wrote his name and room number on the CD. she looked in her computer and told me he wasn’t staying there. what??? i knew he was there because i dropped him off yesterday and he told me he will be there for a few more days. i asked her to please check again. then she told me, he probably checked out already. OMG! i know he didn’t. so i ask again if she could look in the computer because there must be a mistake. she looked pissed and told me “he’s not here and you can’t leave that CD with me!!!!” wow? then she told me to use the phone on the side to call the outrigger hotel???? why do i have to call the outrigger hotel? i went to use the phone and it was broken. so i went back to the front desk and asked to speak to her manager. she said “he’s not here!” i asked her “do you treat all your customers like how you’re treating me now?” she said, “IT’S YOU!!! TRY VIDEO YOURSELF!!!” OMG! i got pissed! i snuck my iphone out from my pocket, turned on the video, and secretly took video of the next 3 minutes. i couldn’t believe a front desk receptionist at a hotel in hawaii was treating me that way. i asked her what should i do. she told me “don’t ask me!” and gave me a stare that could kill a bird. then a guy walks out from the back with a tshirt on. he says, “LEAVE!” i ask him “who are you?” he said “i’m the building manager.” building manager???? what the heck is going on!!! a building manager at a hotel asks me to leave??? something is wrong here. first of all, no receptionist at a hotel in waikiki should be talking to a customer like that. second, no BUILDING manager should come out from the back and talk to a customer like that. building managers jobs are to manage the building, not the guests. i came home and looked at the video i took. should i call the CEO of that hotel chain? should i post it on YOUTUBE? should i give it to Guy Hagi so he can put it on the news? since my friend is still staying there, i’ll just take a deep breath and let it go for now. but once he checks out in a few days, i’m going back there and making a complaint to the highest level of management. no, it’s not about pride, not about money, not about anything. i just feel like if don’t have Aloha, you shouldn’t be working in a position like that. i’m sure there are many happy people that would love to have that job. now i’m going to go to kapiolani park and meditate. hope that works. see ya later.
i shouldn’t do this, but i will post the front desk lady’s photo from the video i took. imagine checking in from her? OMG! you would flip if i showed you the whole video.
and found some complaints online too. check it out:
“The staff on reception did not help us with our bags on arrival, and they were generally lazy and bored looking.”
“Poor front desk service.”
**last, if you want proper directions out of waikiki to the H-1 , here it is. go towards the Ala Wai Canal, once you get there, turn left and go straight until you see the first bridge. that is McCully street. turn right on McCully street, go straight for about 1 mile or about 1.6 kilometers. go over the next bridge, then turn left. go straight and at the next stop sign, turn left. go straight and you will see the freeway right ahead of you. then you turn right and get on the freeway but be very careful because there is only little room to merge.
if you ask the lady today at the hotel, you would have probably turned left at beratania and ended right in the middle of China Town. imagine a japanese tourist lost in China Town. not a pretty sight. i feel bad for not helping him out. my bad on that one.
