From Delight to Disappointment: A Customer Service Tale at Lake Como

Last summer, to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we decided to visit one of the most romantic places in Europe: Lake Como.

Nestled in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Lake Como is surrounded by charming villages, luxurious villas, and lush gardens, all set against a backdrop of towering mountains. The waters of Lake Como shimmer in shades of blue and green, reflecting the sky and the verdant landscape that envelops it. Quaint towns like Bellagio, Varenna, and Tremezzo boast narrow cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and delightful cafes where one can savor delicious Italian cuisine while soaking in the serene atmosphere.

What better place to celebrate such an important date? Naturally, wanting the best of the local scenery, one must be willing to spend a few extra euros, and for that price, expect top-notch customer service.

So, we happily headed off to Lecco and checked into a newly refurbished four-star hotel on the shore of the lake. The hotel described itself as: “a unique location, where wellness, taste, and modern design come together to create a wonderful feeling of comfort.” The welcoming experience was as expected from such an establishment; the rooms and common spaces were up to standard. All was well, and we spent our first night delighted.

The next morning, we headed for breakfast at 7:30 sharp to maximize our time on the lake. The breakfast room was elegantly decorated, filled with beautiful food, and surrounded by the sweet scent of coffee. Still half in a dream, we entered the room to be greeted by the staff … screaming “GOOD MORNING” from the other side of the room. The noise brought us back down to earth in an instant.

Then, one of the personnel rushed to us, blocking us and others trying to pass between the tables and the buffet, and started a long and tedious explanation of the egg options available.

To make it simple, scrambled eggs were at the buffet, and all other types of eggs could be made on request and were complimentary. But the poor choice of words, the fact that this was done standing in the middle of everyone’s way, and the complexity of egg choices for breakfast killed the magic in an instant.

Worse, this spectacle was not an error made just for us; it was the standard, and all guests were greeted with a scream and a tedious explanation in the middle of the way, blocking others from reaching the buffet.

What to take from this tale?

Well, I believe a few lessons should be learned from this experience:

1. One bad customer service element is enough to ruin the overall experience: As a customer, I was enchanted by the stay until breakfast. That part of the experience brought me back to earth. Obviously, I am still happy about my stay, but I was marked, and to be honest, we did laugh a lot long after breakfast was finished.
2. Knowing the basics of customer service is not enough to make it an enjoyable experience: Management understood that welcoming guests was important, but there is a difference between welcoming and welcoming. The reason for the screaming welcome is most probably due to the organization of the room. The staff is waiting at the opposite end of the room, close to the kitchen, as there is no space available at the entrance; moving a few tables should solve this problem.
3. Complexity of choices can ruin the experience: Having more than one type of egg on the menu can be a good idea until the options and the process to order them require a long and tedious explanation. I would rather have only one type of egg or a small note on the table near the scrambled eggs saying, “More egg options are complimentary and available from the staff.” User Experience is indeed part of Customer Service.

This brings a thought to mind: Do business managers and employees test their service “in real life”?

I am quite sure that if every staff member spent a night occasionally as a guest in their hotel, their approach to customer service might be different, and small details that can ruin an experience would be brought to management’s attention and dealt with.