How did the Raffles staff know my colleague had been unwell during the week?
Last October (2019), we stayed at Raffles Jakarta for 7 days, and it was a business trip. The hotel was fantastic and exceeded our expectations.
On the third day, we had a business lunch arranged by the hotel (a buffet). One of my colleagues, who is allergic to seafood, had some prawns, accidentally causing him a severe allergic reaction which required an immediate medical intervention which was arranged by the hotel very quickly.
Two hours later my colleague was fine. He was able to go back to his room, which was on the 5th floor, while the whole action was on the second floor if I remember correctly. On the way to his room, almost every staff member he met asked him if he was OK! At first, he thought the staff witnessed the accident somehow, but the story does not end.
Literally, wherever he was moving inside the hotel for the two days following the accident, regardless of the floor, the staff would approach him nicely and ask him if he was OK and if he needs anything. I am talking about all kinds of staff, room service, housekeeping, maintenance, pool staff, etc.
The funny thing is, the business trip was about "service excellence" as I work in the hospitality business (airlines, not hotels). In one of the seminars on that trip, we actually included this story as an example, yet we didn't know how was the staff all over the hotel briefed about my colleague, how they approach him every time they see him, and ensured that he forgets this bad experience in a magical way.
How did the staff know? There were hundreds of guests at the time staying at the hotel, and I would understand that this would be easy if my colleague had green or blue skin, but he looks like any other guest! Was his photo sent to the staff? Perhaps from the passport copy they had? What was actually going on?
Best Answer
It's a high-end hotel that apparently prides itself on the personal touch.
The staff knew because the hotel distributed info about your colleague and what happened, and encouraged staff's personal enquiries about your colleague's well-being.
Most guests are generic, but some — like your colleague — have something unusual or distinguishing or concerning happen during their stay. The hotel pays attention to these guests and occurrences, for a very good reason: both you and your colleague are impressed and grateful, and have shared your experience with others.
This is good for the hotel's reputation, and good for its business.
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Answer 2
One possibility is that the hotel has security camera video of the accident, and showed it in an employee meeting. It would help reinforce being careful about allergies, and demonstrate the benefit of prompt medical intervention.
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