Calling Tess and jlima

[dutch63]

Thank you so much to the both of you, but I have a couple of questions for you both if thats okay

Tess you seem to have had a lot of past experience with the Poly concierge, I am a firm believer in taking the opportunity to be gracious and grateful for the good things in life and I believe the Poly happens to be one of them. It sounds like you have been able to connect with the magical staff at Poly. If you were to offer your advice in being a hospitable guest what would it be? Do you leave the staff with a gift, do you buy seperately for cms who help in lounge, or behind desks to help with reservations and what about housekeeping. I so appreciate the value of people going the extra mile to make sure you are enjoying your vacation, but I also believe we as guests have a major role in making sure we keep their roles fun and appreciated. Any advice, thoughts and inside tips about conierege would be appreciated. My family, Dh, DD18,DD18,DD17 (yes we had twins) are leaving in the middle of August for 8 nights flying from MI, We can hardly wait. Thank you so much

jlima, I so appreciated you notifying me of your trip report and I may be missing something but when and where did you post it? Thanks so much

 

[jlima]

just posted abou 12 hrs ago; took about 6 days to put together. I also have a trip report on the Universal trip reports board for that part of our trip.

 

[dutch63]

Thanks jlima will give it a try

 

[dutch63]

jlima found your trip report thanks for the great report, sorry about the leis, water and towel animalsDid you find the louge area busy and crowded during your stay?: From what I've gleaned from this forum it seems that it can be hit or miss with the animals, and we should'nt bank on it(but I can certainly empathize with the wishing the surprise treat would magically appear, maybe next time) I also understand that while there is no bottled water in lounge area, you can request mineral water(hope I got that right) Thanks again for your input

 

[jlima]

the busiest I saw the lounge was on the last day we were there Sun 6/27; we didn't go to breakfast until 10a and we ended up sitting upstairs. Saw a lot of people bringing food back to their rooms. Every other day it was just a constant flow in and out of the lounge.

There were glass bottles of Vittel water in the lounge but nothing that was convenient to take with you.

 

[Tess]

I didn't catch your post until this a.m.--been a very busy weekend here with tons of people at our home.

My advice about concierge would be to treat the staff members as family members. Remember to appreciate all they do to make your stay terrific. We have been staying at CL in Polynesian for many years. Over the years these great staffers have just come to recognize us on arrival. This truly does give us a feeling of 'ohana.

Make conversation with your concierge service CMs. Those working in the lounge are friendly and willing to speak with you. I've found that they try to be as unobtrusive as possible so it really is up to the guest to be friendly and outgoing with them. A good start is to ask how long they've been working for Disney and/or the resort itself. There are a good many who have been there for years!

Be sure to use your family name frequently when speaking with them--some are very good at recognizing faces, but never get to know the guests' names because they don't see reservations. Send lovely letters at the end of your stay telling their managers what a great job they did--give specific examples of magic bestowed and be sure to use the name of your CMs providing the magic. If you have any issue with anything, address it at the moment, not after your vacation. We've found the Polynesian is very responsive to guest feedback.

If you're happy, let the folks who are making your stay memorable know that you're happy. Compliment freely. We tip our mousekeepers, but other than that I do not give CMs at the CL gifts, per se. I always write a thank-you letter after our stay, attach a photograph of our family enjoying the resort, etc. and express a desire that these hardworking folks be recognized for their outstanding efforts. I have had a gift delivered to a pre-planner for going above and beyond the call--but this was way outside the scope of a CMs duties and more in the realm of friendship.

Bottom line--treat the CMs as family and you will receive like in return. Don't be timid--make the CL your own!

Aloha! Enjoy your stay.