Kona Village Favoritism?

Bill in Sacramento voiced a very legitimate objection to the complaint by some that Kona Village staff played favorites with the returnees, and I endorsed what he said. Trouble is, it was buried at the end of a thread and deserves more prominent attention.

When people go to KVR year after year, they get to know the staff, and become part of the ohana--the family. They become friends, and are welcomed back as you would welcome any friends. “Hi, how are you? How’s the family? It’s good to see you here again.

How are your little ones? Got pictures? Oh, my they’ve grown!” Remember that 80% of us are returnees—there must be something attractive about the place!

Newcomers are always welcomed into the ohana, but haven’t quite earned “old friend status” until they’ve returned enough to be known a bit by the staff. They’ll make friends with other guests, and will trade emails, and will certainly be made to feel welcome, but shouldn’t feel left out because the staff sometimes gravitates toward those they’ve known, sometimes for a long time.

KVR folks are different—they’re a close-knit group in a way, as if sharing a secret, united by a common love for an old Hawai’i lifestyle. Anyone can join, and is more than welcome, as long as they’re nice, and friendly, and kind, and for a while at least, can tolerate a life in the slow lane…

Kona Village Favoritism?

Thanks M, here%26#39;s my post:

%26lt;Since this is becoming the KVR meeting place, I want to lodge a small complaint about the Tripadvisor format. The problem is TA does not allow rebuttals in the resort review forum. So a person trashes KVR because he feels the staff plays favorites between old and new customers and no true rebuttal is allowed. Well, here is my rebuttal. In my opinion, it just isn%26#39;t true that the staff plays favorites. Everyone of the repeat visitors were there on a first visit, obviously we came back because we had a great time.

And where does this alleged discrimination occur? At the bar? At dinner? At the beach shack? It just does not ring true. If you treat a person with honesty and dignity, they will treat you in the same manner. If you treat the staff like they are pawns in your game of life, I suspect they will treat you a little less warmly.%26gt;

Kona Village Favoritism?

as a neutral third party, may I just try to help by suggesting that you, Bill, and you, Mumpsimus, appear to be mostly coming from the same place.

First, Mumpsimus agrees that there should be a counterpoint to the complaints, and is trying to bring your message forward, as per his first paragraph.

Second, what I read from Mumps is NOT that KVR discriminates. He says that everybody is welcomed, but that ';old friends'; are given extra attention simply because they%26#39;re old friends, and this may be perceived by the complainers as favoritism, but it really isn%26#39;t. It%26#39;s just human nature to follow up with friends, even while working.

If I go in any restaurant where people know me and my family, they%26#39;ll stop to ask how everyone is doing. The checker at any store here will make me, who she doesn%26#39;t know, wait for her attention while she asks someone else how her kids, etc.. are.

It%26#39;s not a totally professional attitude, but it%26#39;s human and the reason for it is a strong orientation towards ohana in this culture.

I think what Mumpsimus is saying is that what KVR does best is not to just be some hotel that people drop in and out of for one trip.

My hunch from reading this, is that some people act like it%26#39;s just another expensive hotel where the staff%26#39;s primary obligation is a sort of almost excessive pampering that is more what the Four Seasons does so well. The kind of pampering that is more about plying people with service and personal attention to make them feel special rather than forming a genuine relationship that strengthens with repeat visits. (this is just my take from what I%26#39;ve read)

KamaainaK

My %26lt; %26gt; post is not a response to M%26#39;s. It%26#39;s the first post (despite flunky paragraphing which appears to be a reply to M). It is not meant to be a rebuttal. I do not take M%26#39;s post to be contrary, but rather putting his own spin on my original post. I agree with his points also.

Bill

I can see how the close knit ';ohana'; could be off-putting to first timers. I was a first timer in January and we got a bit of a taste of it when speaking to the concierge and a ';regular'; walked to be greeted ';Hi Karen.'; It did seem as the concierge was rushing us out after that so that she could tend to ';karen.'; This didn%26#39;t ruin our trip or anything, but we did notice it. I guess the point is that everyone is paying good money to stay there, even first-timers, and watching others receive preferential treatment is never fun. Not an issue of feeling left out, but if the staff is holding a prime table for Karen or the bartender serves Karen immediately while you%26#39;ve been waiting for 5 minutes, then I%26#39;d have a problem with that.

That being said, our experience was amazing, I love the resort and I%26#39;d definitely go back, but not with a sense of entitlement over any first-timers.

tj, that%26#39;s my point. Did any bartender make you wait or serve another before you? Did anybody get a better table than you based on favoritism? I have never experienced this in seven years of vacationing there, and I don%26#39;t think there is a favoritism policy. I see the staff as highly professionally and the village as egalitarian. That%26#39;s what I love about it. Just because the staff does not remember my name when I return and they may know M%26#39;s because of his history, does not detract from the quality of service I am always provided.

Bill

KK, your last point is well put. (Well, all of them are, but I%26#39;m responding to the last one!) I have friends who went next door to the FS for dinner. Their comment next day was that the staff at FS were impeccable, and did their jobs to perfection, but when they got back to KVR, the staff seemed like they were welcoming us into their home. It%26#39;s that ohana thing again, and I love it!

I think KK nails it, about how the staff and guests develop friendships as part of the overall KVR ohana. It%26#39;s a natural progression of the resort, which is like nowhere else we%26#39;ve ever been.

Could someone actually be slighted? Quite probably. People are human, and make mistakes. On the other hand, it could also be a case of perception. There might have been special arrangements made earlier.

My wife and I don%26#39;t consider ourselves ';high maintenance';. I remember the welcome we received our first time, and it wasn%26#39;t just at the front desk. If anything, at the front desk, it was much more forced. Waiters explained how the menus worked. The beach staff (especially Bubba) gave us a quick introduction to the beach and got two landlubbers from the Great Plains familiarized with snorkeling and kayaking.

We did notice how some people got hugs from the staff and others didn%26#39;t. That never bothered me, since I%26#39;m not a big ';hugging strangers'; person, and it frequently comes off as forced and artificial. But what you soon realize is that most of those hugs aren%26#39;t artificial. It%26#39;s a real bond between the staff and guests that forms over time. I suppose if you went up to a staff member and demanded your hug (since HE just got one), you%26#39;d get one, but it wouldn%26#39;t be the same hug.

When I%26#39;m chatting with someone on the staff, they frequently go out of their way to look for someone who needs their services. ';Talk story'; always comes secondary to service, from my perspective. And that%26#39;s the way it should be.

Well put, Mike! I%26#39;m a hug-junkie, but only for earned hugs--hugs from friends--hugs from people I%26#39;ve known a while. I get lots of them at KVR, and I love %26#39;em. (But I don%26#39;t hug the men!)

Tj, i%26#39;ve walked into the conierge office and Gail has stood up and welcomed me with a hug (and a very minimal kiss) and then gone back to the guest she was working with. I%26#39;ve never felt that she was rushing to geit to me. She always devotes full attention to the person she%26#39;s working with, (And she%26#39;s very good at what she does!)

All guest should be greeted by their LAST NAME from the second day on at ALL quality hotels/resorts.