“But she always has hypoallergenic bedding. It’s on the computer system.”
“Mandy hates the computer system. And I know we also keep cards for each guest, but I think she forgot to look at it. Anyway, Mrs Dodds didn’t get hypoallergenic bedding. I’ve told her it was the highest quality down and feathers but that didn’t soothe her. She said when this happened last time Gerald comped the whole stay.”
“He didn’t charge her at all? For the whole week?”
“That’s right.”
Andthat, Evie thought wearily, was just one of the reasons the hotel was in trouble.
“All right. I’ll deal with this. How bad is it? Should we offer to make her a doctor’s appointment?”
“I don’t think she wants that. I told her it was a mix-up andthat we’re sorry, but she seems to want financial compensation. And one of our branded waffle bathrobes.”
One of the disadvantages of being a five-star hotel and providing top quality bathroom products was that guests tended to walk off with them.
“I’ll talk to Mrs Dodds right now, then I need to see Mandy.”
Mandy was the head housekeeper. Evie had tried to persuade her to use the computer system that automatically flagged guest preferences, but she was scared of it and preferred to check the old-fashioned card system that had been in place for decades.
“Go easy on her,” Donna said. “She’s already upset because Mrs Dodds shouted. Honestly, it’s not that big a deal. I’m sure she’ll stop sneezing if she goes for a walk on the beach. Fresh air, that’s what she needs. And maybe antihistamine.”
“Donna, it’s a big deal,” Evie said. “Firstly, because we have an unhappy guest, which means we’ve failed at our job. Secondly, because it is much easier to keep guests than it is to cultivate new ones, so losing a guest is bad news. And thirdly, as well as losing money by compensating her, we risk a bad review and bad reviews put people off staying here. And they also affect our SEO ranking and—”
“Our what?”
“Never mind. I’ll handle it, Donna.”
“Right—before you do that, I wanted to ask if I could leave early today. I need to take my mother to a hospital appointment and the journey takes forever at this time of year. I know it’s not great timing—”
That was true. They were already short-staffed, but what could she say? She knew how hard it was for Donna, caring for her elderly mother at the same time as raising her family and working.
“Of course. How is she?”
“Frail. She seemed to give up after Dad died. Anyway, such is life. All you can do is carry on carrying on. Thanks, Evie.”
Evie wondered if she dared ask Donna to come in early tomorrow to make up the time, but then remembered she had to drop her youngest at school.
Unable to see a solution, she stood up and followed Donna to the front desk where Mrs Dodds was making her discontent known to anyone who would listen and a great number of other people who would probably rather have not listened. Her face was red and blotchy and her tirade was punctuated by sneezing.
Her mouth tightened when she saw Evie. “I have been staying at The Alexandra, Cornwall for—”
“The past ten years. I know, Mrs Dodds, and you’re a special and valued guest. I’m extremely sorry this happened. It was a genuine mistake and I assure you it will never happen again.” She smoothed and soothed, ignoring the inner voice telling her that the way things were at that moment, it probably would happen again.
“What are you going to do about it? Gerald would have offered me my next holiday free of charge.”
“Last night will be complimentary, and we are going to offer you a special discounted rate for your booking next year.” She was determined not to give away an entire stay.
“I’ve been rethinking my booking for next year. I’m not sure I’ll be able to look forward to it after what has happened. How can you be sure it won’t happen again?”
Good question.
“Because I am personally going to look into it and will be doing some intensive staff training.” Which, she could safely predict, would make absolutely no difference at all to the level of service delivered.
It didn’t really matter what she promised because shecouldn’t shake the nagging feeling that The Alexandra wouldn’t be in business next year. It would have been closed or sold off to someone who would probably turn it into holiday homes which would remain empty for eleven months of the year. The thought depressed her. She couldn’t imagine strolling through the village and not seeing the hotel nestled in the dip on the headland.
Having pacified Mrs Dodds and offered medical assistance (which was refused), she returned to her office and Mandy appeared a few minutes later.
Evie knew this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.
