Recently we took the kids to Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Resort Hotel. This is not a review about our stay but rather a small rant. Our stay was complementary courtesy of a contest I won which included a complementary stay at the Executive Room plus two vouchers for 90 minute massages worth RM1,600.

Firstly, the Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Resort Hotel is a beautiful hotel. I can imagine the kind of grand plans that must have been in the minds of the architects and the designers. The rooms were intricately designed with attention to detail. There are several blocks and each block is designed according to ethnic Malay, Chinese, Indian and Borneo designs. Beautiful. However, quiet and has a deserted feel (which is good if you like it quiet) but low occupancy also means not up to date maintenance. I spotted a couple of insects here and there in my room.

The management or rather the sales or marketing communications departments of the Pullman Putrajaya also did their job by partnering with corporations and giving away free stays and I was the recipient of one of them.

I think people maketh the hotel, so no matter how beautiful the facade, when I stay at a hotel I want to feel welcomed with warm hospitality even if I may look like a country bumpkin with a free ticket for a free room. If treated well, the country bumpkin could have extended her stay for example or she and her family could turn out to be return visitors. Miss Country Bumpkin with the free room could also turn out to be a blogger. She doesn’t even need to own a blog these days, all she needs is a facebook account to write an unhappy account of her stay….

What is the intention of the marketing of sales department in giving out complementary stay vouchers? To allow visitors and guests to sample the hospitality so they can return or spread the word. So free visitors are actually very important visitors and should be treated as such. Anyway, I wasn’t really a non-paying guest. I had to pay RM50++_ for an extra bed for the night.

Unfortunately, my stay was spoilt by one or two (not all) staff. Firstly, I was greeted by the front desk reception which gave me a poor reception of what to expect. The person who handled my check in was hidung tinggi (haughty) and that didn’t make me feel very welcome at all.

Secondly, my room, which was the executive room at the Pullman Putrajaya was supposed to come with a free welcome fruit basket (it clearly stated so in black and white) and this was conveyed to me by Miss Haughty as well. I had to remind the reception twice (to two different persons), one was apologetic and recorded my room number on a piece of paper while the other appeared confused but still noted my request. By the time I checked out the next day, I still felt unwelcome by the missing “welcome” fruit basket which never made its appearance despite my reminders.

I had spa vouchers which I wanted to redeem but the spa was rather deserted and quiet. The girl looked like she was doubling up as receptionist as well as masseur. I could not confirm the time with her on the spot so she informed me that “I will call you at 8pm ma’am to confirm” but she never did. In any service, you NEVER tell a customer or client that you will call them and then DON’T make that call. The next day, I went early in the morning to book my time but there was no one, when I finally found someone, I was told “Sorry, we’re fully booked but I can put you at this hour if a guest cancels”. That may be the case but that would never have happened if the first girl had followed up with her phone call. Again, I guess it is a case of a person carrying a free voucher being less important than a paying guest.

That’s it. My rant, not a review of my stay at the Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Resort Hotel. My kids did ask us to extend our stay because they wanted to swim in the pool another day but do you think I extended my stay or will be a returning guest?  No prices for guessing.


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