I promised that I’d post the email I received from the Clift in response to this.

I’m not sure who tipped them off to the blog (and the opening to the second paragraph is obviously bollocks, but I’m a sucker for that shit) but clearly what I wrote hit a nerve.

So here’s their email, and my reply to their reply. I’ve promised that further correspondence will be kept private (as is the name and position of the person at the Clift who emailed - a senior manager) so we’ll leave it at this, but sufficed to say, I’m impressed. Shame it had to come to this, though.

From: xxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 9:18 AM
Subject: Your Experience at Clift
To: xxxxxxx@alljustwords.com

Dear Mr. Carr,

One of our guests referred me to your blog this evening and I just wanted to take a moment to contact you and give you my contact information in return.

I am familiar with your work, as well as your soon to be released book, and I certainly appreciate the effect your writing has on public perception and opinion. Of course it is never fun to hear a negative review, but most importantly I truly am saddened to hear that you left Clift with such an unfortunate impression of our staff and service. Obviously you’ve put quite a bit of time and thought into your comments and I understand if you would choose not to revisit the subject, however I would love the opportunity to briefly chat with you and hear a bit more if you’re willing. If not, I do want you to know that we take all feedback very seriously—as we do our service standards—and I will certainly be sharing it with my peers.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write and please feel free to contact me should we have the opportunity to welcome you back to Clift.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXX MANAGER
CLIFT

And here’s my reply. I wrote it straight off the cuff when I got the mail and, reading it back, I know it sounds a bit preachy and pompous (quel surprise, right?). But it was genuinely meant - if the staff at Clift would just chill the fuck out a bit, it could be one of the best, if the most expensive, hotels in the city…

From: xxxxxxx@alljustwords.com
Date: Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Subject: Your Experience at Clift
To: xxxxxxxxx

Dear Ms xxxxxxxx (can I call you xxxxxxx?),

First of all, thank you for your reply. It’s ironic that your email is the first thing about Clift I’ve experienced and thought to myself, ‘wow - that’s really spot on.’ I’m being totally sincere here - it was exactly the right way to respond to my post and there are a good number of companies who would do well to take a leaf out of your book.

The flattery about what you charitably call ‘my work’ was a nice touch too, and appreciated. Stroke a writer’s ego and we’re putty in your hands - whether it’s true or not is totally irrelevant.

Anyway, I don’t know that there’s much value in talking about my own experiences further - although of course if you do want to discuss something specifically then I’d of course be happy to give you a call - given that you had the courtesy of contacting me. Really, though, all I would probably say on the phone is some variation of what follows…

I understand that there’s a certain image that Clift is aspiring to - let’s call it ’sophisticated aloofness’ - the sense that the staff are just as cool as the guests, if not more so. The sense of exclusivity that comes from having to pay $300 to get a seat. I get it. And it works. I actually visited the hotel bar the night before my colleagues arrived in town, just with a friend from San Francisco. We were perplexed by the apparently silly table reservations system but sat at
the bar and enjoyed some excellent mojitos. The atmosphere was cool and we didn’t grudge the bill as a result.

But the huge danger is that that very same aloofness, if not really tightly managed, can trip over into institutionalised arrogance. And that’s what seems to have happened here. If you encourage a waitress enough times to act like she’s better than the guests (as opposed to equal - which of course she is), then she’ll inevitably start to believe it. But if that’s the case then she needs to pay the guests $300 for the vodka and not the other way around.

The group of people I was with this last week include some really influential people - much more influential than I am. These are founders of companies who have come over to San Francisco from London to form partnerships with US-based peers and investors that could lead to valuations in the millions - perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars. The next Facebook or Myspace could very possibly be amongst their ranks. These are the super-block-bookers of tomorrow who, had they left with a positive experience of Clift - would have stayed for years to come and insisted that their management do the same. A stay at Clift would have become part of their image. But right now, as these same people build their businesses, it takes a lot to justify spending $300 on a bottle of rum or double that on a meal for six. The experience has to be perfect, and it just wasn’t. People were left feeling resentful that they were expected to tip someone who acted like they hated them.

So, here’s all I’d love to happen - I’d love someone; perhaps you as you seem to ‘get it’ - to talk to the staff and ask them to lighten up a bit. Just a touch. To reiterate that not everyone who walks through the door is a wannabe rock star or wants to be seen to be seen. Some clients are serious business people who know the importance of appearing cool but also recognise the even greater importance of making their customers feel like a million dollars. Many are people just like the waitresses and barmen themselves. Just that touch more empathy and a touch less resentment would probably be all it takes to fix every problem I listed in my post. After that, your prices are your own affair.

So that’s all I’d ask. Tell them all to lighten up a bit. And I’d really like your permission to post your mail to me and this reply on the blog too. I was genuinely impressed by it and I think others will be too. I’ll of course remove your contact info before doing so. Do please let me know if that’s ok.

Either way, thank you again for responding.

Sincerely,

Paul

And that, as I say, is that.

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