SINGAPORE - Old world, classic, unhurried napkin-on-arm service is what many would associate with the 123-year-old Raffles Hotel. But three recent letters to the press have raised the question of whether the top-notch service synonymous with the national monument on Beach Road is on the slide. There were mixed views on this when MediaCorp visited the hotel last week and spoke to 10 of its patrons, half of them locals. Four felt that standards had dropped over the years, while the rest had only compliments.
Some tourists would still visit it, even if they hear less-than-impressive feedback on the hotel.
"It's iconic," said Katherine from Melbourne, whose parents and brother had recommended it as a "must-see".
But she felt the Singapore Sling - poured from a plastic container into the glass - at the Long Bar was "disappointing". "For the price you pay, you want them to shake it and make it in front of you," she said. But the hotel is still "a beautiful place just to wander".
The quality of the hotel's famous cocktail - which costs $29.45 - came up for debate when British tourist Joanna Hoare, who first visited Raffles Hotel in 1964, wrote to the press two weeks ago to recount her experience there.
She was served a Singapore Sling that tasted like "cheap fruit cocktail", and at the Raffles Grill, she and her friend were not quoted the cost of wine served them. As she was leaving the fine dining outlet, she had her shawl - accidentally left behind - shoved at her by a staff member.
Speaking to MediaCorp from England, Mrs Hoare, 82, said she would not visit the hotel on her next trip here.
"It's such a shame, because (Singapore) is a lovely city," she said.
Another letter writer, Dr Peter Hardstone, said that at the end of his meal at Raffles Grill, the hotel offered "a large pink candy floss more in keeping with the fun fair at Coney Island in New York" than a five-star hotel.
But Australian company director David Rogers told MediaCorp service has remained "immaculate" over the years.
He and his wife have been to Singapore 10 times in two decades and dined at the Tiffin Room and Long Bar. "I don't go for the service; I go for the ambience," he said.
Most of the Singaporeans MediaCorp spoke to at the hotel felt that service had deteriorated. Service has got more "harried and flustered", said public relations agency owner Katrina Karim,
The first time she dined there in 1999, she thought, "Wow, this is so awesome." When she returned to Raffles Grill about five years ago, she found the service "dismal".
Raffles Hotel, currently owned by Fairmont Raffles but to be bought over by a Qatari sovereign wealth fund, declined to comment when approached by MediaCorp.
Who owns the hotel does not matter to consumers, said Assistant Professor Marcus Lee, academic director of the Singapore Management University's Institute of Service Excellence.
But if experiences such as Ms Hoare's happen "enough times", the impact would be felt on the Singapore brand, given the hotel's National Monument status, he said.
Companies should address specific complaints they receive and investigate if an incident is an anomaly or a systemic issue. Written complaints are seldom submitted at whim.
"I think it's easy for everyone to forget that it's actually very effortful ... to submit written copy. It's not just pulling a waiter (aside) and then blabbing," said Asst Prof Lee.
Some tourists would still visit it, even if they hear less-than-impressive feedback on the hotel.
"It's iconic," said Katherine from Melbourne, whose parents and brother had recommended it as a "must-see".
But she felt the Singapore Sling - poured from a plastic container into the glass - at the Long Bar was "disappointing". "For the price you pay, you want them to shake it and make it in front of you," she said. But the hotel is still "a beautiful place just to wander".
The quality of the hotel's famous cocktail - which costs $29.45 - came up for debate when British tourist Joanna Hoare, who first visited Raffles Hotel in 1964, wrote to the press two weeks ago to recount her experience there.
She was served a Singapore Sling that tasted like "cheap fruit cocktail", and at the Raffles Grill, she and her friend were not quoted the cost of wine served them. As she was leaving the fine dining outlet, she had her shawl - accidentally left behind - shoved at her by a staff member.
Speaking to MediaCorp from England, Mrs Hoare, 82, said she would not visit the hotel on her next trip here.
"It's such a shame, because (Singapore) is a lovely city," she said.
Another letter writer, Dr Peter Hardstone, said that at the end of his meal at Raffles Grill, the hotel offered "a large pink candy floss more in keeping with the fun fair at Coney Island in New York" than a five-star hotel.
But Australian company director David Rogers told MediaCorp service has remained "immaculate" over the years.
He and his wife have been to Singapore 10 times in two decades and dined at the Tiffin Room and Long Bar. "I don't go for the service; I go for the ambience," he said.
Most of the Singaporeans MediaCorp spoke to at the hotel felt that service had deteriorated. Service has got more "harried and flustered", said public relations agency owner Katrina Karim,
The first time she dined there in 1999, she thought, "Wow, this is so awesome." When she returned to Raffles Grill about five years ago, she found the service "dismal".
Raffles Hotel, currently owned by Fairmont Raffles but to be bought over by a Qatari sovereign wealth fund, declined to comment when approached by MediaCorp.
Who owns the hotel does not matter to consumers, said Assistant Professor Marcus Lee, academic director of the Singapore Management University's Institute of Service Excellence.
But if experiences such as Ms Hoare's happen "enough times", the impact would be felt on the Singapore brand, given the hotel's National Monument status, he said.
Companies should address specific complaints they receive and investigate if an incident is an anomaly or a systemic issue. Written complaints are seldom submitted at whim.
"I think it's easy for everyone to forget that it's actually very effortful ... to submit written copy. It's not just pulling a waiter (aside) and then blabbing," said Asst Prof Lee.
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