Showing posts with label Marquis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marquis. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

THE CONCIERGE THAT STOLE MY HEART

There must be something about Marriott and absolutely brilliant Concierge services. My first encounter was at the Renaissance Powai in Mumbai with Anthony Arockinadan, the Navigation Desk Manager a few years ago who’s also won an Award for his excellent service and we even covered him on our YouTube Channel ‘EatStayChill’ ( you can later go on to the link and watch the video).
And recently during my stay at the Marriott Marquis in Bangkok I had another chance example of an unforgettable customer service win.
Please be warned…. this service story will tug at your heartstrings.
So my daughter Akanksha and I wanted to go to a store which sold chef coats and aprons, the address of which we had found online and later in the evening to dine at Suhring. We went to the concierge desk and this girl called ‘Super’ with the most gorgeous smile in the world took out google maps for us, best way to reach etc to save maximum time and finally called for a taxi to take us to our first stop, as she was explaining the way to our cab driver, she heard thunderstorms and immediately got us two umbrellas, just in case it began to pour.
We bid her a bye and happily drove past; a few seconds later, it started raining cats and dogs and we decided to change our plan, got off the cab and went in for a foot massage instead. When the rain stopped, we got back to the hotel and bump into ‘Super’ and she was like ‘How are you guys? Hope all well? I called at the store to check if you both had reached and I was really worried for you when they told me you haven’t’ (We were not carrying phones that worked or she would have called us). We told her the scenario and went back to the room to dress and change for our dinner at Suhring.
The moment Super saw we were at the lobby and ready to go, she suggested ‘Being traffic time, the best suggestion is by the Sky train’ and she had a step by step map ready in English and Thai (in her beautiful handwriting) just in case we lost our way. And as we left, she said, ‘You are checking out late afternoon, give the store another try in the morning’.

We reached Suhring so easily thanks to Super, and guess what when we reached our Hotel room that night, there was a map to the store from Super and a message reading ‘Give it another try’ with a smiley. And of course we decided to give the store another try the next morning.
Post breakfast with the map in our hand as we moved towards the lobby, Super with her infectious smile greeted us and boarded us in a cab. We reached rather quickly as there was hardly any traffic at that time. Moments later as we were selecting, we heard the store manager receive a call from Super to know we had reached all fine.
And as we left the hotel that afternoon and bid Super and her colleague Oak a goodbye, it was like leaving behind a part of the family.Truly People want to deal with other people and we seek human to human engagement. Our engagement with Super was such a personalized experience. Super could have easily given us directions or just a city map and circled places on it like most hotel concierge do, but she went the extra mile. It’s rare to come across people who do their work out of passion. With Super it was a relationship that extended beyond expectations and one that has led to such a memorable experience. ..Super you are Super! Kudos!!
CHECK IT OUT
WHERE: Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Klong Ton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
TEL: +66 (0) 2 059 5999

Monday, May 29, 2017

THE GOJI KITCHEN & BAR AT THE LARGEST HOTEL IN BANGKOK GOES WORLDWIDE ON CUISINE AND GRANDIOSE ON ITS SELECTION – THIS IS NO ORDINARY BUFFET!

It’s always a virtuous sign when you just can’t decide what to order. It’s a shared problem here, where breakfast is a cut above.
Marriott Marquis …the first in Asia Pacific and the largest in Bangkok. This fresh milestone in the heart of the Thai Capital takes its inspiration from the Thai Queen’s passion that ‘the cultural heritage of Thailand resides within its people’ and this hotel mergers fabulous Thai hospitality with the ‘Travel Brilliantly’ values of the Marriott brand. It is a portrayal of urbane luxury, a favoured among those seeking vital easing collective with an elegant ambience. It brags wide-ranging facilities, including over 1,300 rooms and suites, over 5,000m² of function space across 37 venues, two swimming pools, the Quan Spa which is a calm oasis and a collection of restaurants and bars…one of which is home to the focus of my visit that morning…aka Breakfast at the Goji Kitchen & Bar! A hotel buffet does not have to mean queuing up for lukewarm titbits, uncertain hotpots and gelatinous eggs. There is a glorious thing happening out here and the daughter and I are excited to dive in.
AMBIENCE
Attentive staff takes your order for tea or coffee as soon as you take your seat. Overlooking Bangkok’s Benjasiri Park, Bright and welcoming, Goji can seat 240 diners. Views of verdant greens echo in the cuisine itself, which is environmentally-friendly organic and sourced locally. There are also private dining rooms in case you are a larger group or celebrating!
WHAT’S ON OFFER?
Think a bounty of authentic, modern Asian cuisine, a glut of top quality ocean fresh seafood, an old-style roast carvery, sashimi and sushi station, Indian selection, Hainese chicken rice corner with its own expert chef, South American Parrilla Grill, handmade Chinese steamed buns, Dimsums galore, make your own salad bar, a huge Bagel selection (I encrusted mine with dill cream cheese and superbly grated cooked beetroot sharp with a wee bit of horseradish, the perfect bite, creamy and fresh all at once), fruits, juices, finest cheeses, cold cuts, breads, yogurts , eggs to order, pancakes, waffles …replete with live dramatic cooking stations, and an eye-popping milk bar to make any milk lover pinch themselves in disbelief. Oh, and did I mention they have got a fresh Sugar cane press? Anticipate sushi and sashimi, steamed dumplings and buns, noodle and rice dishes cooked to order, and the freshest seafood.
Come hungry. So kudos to lead chefs, Itthi Nitayaporn of Thailand, Jasvir Sanghera of Thailand and Watanabe Masayuki of Japan, who obviously know a thing or three about excellent, slightly off-piste textures and flavours and maintaining the perfect taste. Textures rule in dishes such the scramble egg, opt for one that gets chunky with salmon and covered in bonito flakes that wave in the heat. 
And then at the end see if you still have some room for dessert, and ask for the bill, and leave beaming promising to return very, very soon.

CHECK IT OUT
WHERE: Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, 199 Sukhumvit Soi 22, Klong Ton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
TEL: +66 (0) 2 059 5999
VERDICT: I only tried the breakfast buffet out here, but from stylish breakfasts to high-flying lunches, exciting evening buffets to memorable family brunches, Goji Kitchen & Bar has something to suit all tastes and every occasion.

INTERNATIONAL GOURMET BUFFET PRICE
Breakfast buffet: THB 850++
Lunch buffet: THB 790++
Dinner buffet (Sunday – Thursday): THB 1,200++
Dinner buffet (Friday – Saturday): THB 1,800++
Sunday Brunch buffet (Sunday): THB 1,800++
BEVERAGE PACKAGE
Free flow fruit juices and soft drinks: THB 99++
Free flow fruit juices, soft drinks and beers: THB 499++
Free flow fruit juices, soft drinks and alcoholic beverage exclude champagne: THB 950++