A Wren Says

I walked up to the door at the J.W. Marriott L.A. Live and the evidence of renovations happening was apparent. Perhaps too apparent. The jackhammer going just feet from the front desk made my exchange with the receptionist look like a silent film. I resolved to drop my bag off and just return to check in later.

By the time I returned, they had moved check-in up multiple floors. The staff was nice enough, but by that time, I was ready to head to my room. Luckily, I wasn’t able to hear the noise on my level or even in the ballrooms where the conference would later be held. And to tell you the truth, the room was nice enough. It was about as nice as you might expect from a Marriott property. There was a well-equipped gym. But it wasn’t memorable. I couldn’t remember anything but the ringing in my ears.

There was more to the property, but I didn’t explore. There was a restaurant and a little shop, but trying to discover those places would have meant lingering and willingly giving myself a headache.

I feel for the workers, who navigated trying to give excellent customer service while wearing ear plugs. I get why the hotel didn’t just shut down and lose out on the income. But I wonder if there were a better way?

Perhaps giving everyone a heads up via email about the construction and their goal to continue service. (Maybe they didn’t this, but weren’t able to send one to me because I booked third party.) Stocking ear plugs at the front desk. Immediately acknowledging the disruption and naming what is happening at check-in, instead of waiting for guests to ask what’s going on. If you think about it, this is the core of crisis management.

You might think that it doesn’t count because it isn’t a disaster or a PR nightmare, but you’d be wrong. A crisis is anything that disrupts what you do. The ongoing construction was a definite disruption to guest experience and should have been addressed with a crisis management plan. That includes how to mitigate issues and communicate to key stakeholders. (There was definitely some of that on show in the decision to shift reception.)

Maybe one day I will be able to stay and experience everything the hotel actually has to offer. I would imagine by the time you read this, the bulk of the demo work will be completed. If you are able to stay at J.W. Marriott L.A. Live, I would enjoy hearing about your experience. Tell me in the comments what your experience was.