top of page
The Storyteller

Case Review: Raffles Le Royal Phnom Penh

💖 The friendly bell team would greet guests "Welcome back" whenever they returned to the hotel.

💖 The receptionist greeted us by name and showed positive recognition during our stay.

💖 The hotel driver, Thy, was very friendly and provided enthusiastic service when we engaged him to bring us around several spots in the city.

💖 During the journey, I asked Thy if he knew where a particular shop was located and he said he would check with his colleagues in the hotel by phone. I declined with thanks since we had yet to decide if we would go there for the day. In the meanwhile, we made our first stop at the local market. Upon our return to the car, the driver had located the address of my enquired shop and informed how we could fit it in based on today's program. His initiative was much appreciated.

💖 Housekeeping service was detailed with all our toiletry bottles and items arranged very neatly on a white cloth, even those that were placed at the end of the bathtub's ledge.

💖 I met the Housekeeping attendant the following day as I exited my room. He greeted me warmly and asked "How are you today?" After mutual exchange of pleasantries, he wished me a nice day.

💖 Moments after, I walked back towards the room as I had forgotten to bring along my sunglasses. The same employee asked if there was something he could assist with, demonstrating interest.


Now the minuses:

  • Service at Elephant Bar was very slow on the two occasions that we visited, despite the fact that there was only few occupied tables.

  • The croquet monsieur and club sandwich were rather bland and the presentation very lacking. The pizza was served barely warm.

  • The dance and cultural show, while a visual treat, did not provide a comfortable experience due to the following:

- the buffet dishes were left uncovered outdoors and insects were spotted flying around

- the buffet was not replenished in a timely manner for several dishes

- lighting was dim at the buffet area and at the tables

- much mosquitoes buzzing around

  • The concierge provided the wrong street number to Hanuman and it caused us (and the locals we asked) some confusion and time searching for it. (He had given us the partial address of its Siem Reap branch instead)

  • Concierge Krishna appeared rather unhelpful when we asked if there was a nearby optical shop to fix a pair of reading glasses. We felt we were bothering him and he seemed to sneer at the triviality of the request. (Rest of concierge team was good)

  • Driver who drove us to the airport pulled up at the drop-off point but half the car was blocked by the roadside barrier, making it impossible to open the door fully to get out. He seemed to be awaiting for a tip as we placed our bags onto the trolley ourselves. (And yes, we did tip him eventually)


Service bank: Do the minuses outweigh the deposits? What weightage would you give to each of the minuses?



Reflective thoughts: The saying "You are only as strong as your weakest link" - it means how great your team is, is determined by its least successful/performing team member. It could be a junior or an experienced individual. What is being done or what can be done differently so that the weakest link can be strengthened?


Apply the concept to your company's guest policies and work processes. Which parts of these may hinder the team from delivering, or the guest from enjoying a superior stay experience? Is it time for a review and ensure these are still relevant in today's context?



Recent Posts

See All

Warm welcome in Cape Town hotel

The doorman extended a cheery welcome as we arrived at the QV Hotel at about noon. First impression matters, so we felt we were off to a...

bottom of page