Comment by kkielhofner | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kkielhofner | Hacker News Reader

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It probably varies by person but I've experienced a version of this at Four Seasons and Ritz properties. On one hand I respect the incredible training, homogenization, attention to detail, etc. It really is amazing - impossible to compare their level of service to any other chain/organization at that price point (top 1%, not 0.01%).

On the other hand after about a day or so and the novelty wears off it starts to seem a little "creepy" in a Stepford Wives/Get Out/etc kind of way... On a couple of occasions I was so uncomfortable I literally pulled someone aside and said "Come on, level with me dude. This isn't real. You don't really talk like this." In most cases they would respond with something along the lines of "Sir, I'm sorry but I don't know what you're referring to". It never quite rang as genuine but I couldn't help but wonder if the staff is trained or programmed.

I know some people/families/etc who have never experienced lodging, accommodation, service, etc at any lesser level and it made me really wonder how aware they are of the bubble they're in (and how strange it really is).

I think some people actually take pride in being able to provide that kind of service. I'm not sure how many of them actually fall into that category.

Some people definitely do and I've encountered many of them in high end dining (as an example). However, the experiences I've had with staff at these properties are totally unlike that.

Probably the closest comparison I can make are the well-known rules for Disney employees. Every employee on Disney property is essentially in costume and portraying a character, whether they're in a physical costume or not - to the point where every employee is referred to as a "cast member".

These brands have their systems, procedure, and process down to the point where virtually no personality or individualism is expressed by individual staff. Excellent for service and experience, but as referenced in my original comment, it can kind of cross over into "uncanny valley" territory and get unsettling.

I'm quite sure some some people do take pride in providing that level of service. There have been some fascinating fly-on-the-wall documentaries in the world of ultra-high net worth individuals recently -- top-end hotels, exclusive services you'd never imagine existed, and so on. Some of the people interviewed seemed to be genuinely happy, and often proud of what they did and their ability to satisfy obscure requests or handle strange emergencies or pay extraordinary attention to details.

It also wasn't uncommon for people in low-ranking jobs to be asked if they'd like to swap places with their clients and practically fall over themselves to say no. As one of the cleaners at a world-class London hotel said, she doesn't earn as much in a year as her current guest earns in an hour, and the bed does look comfy, but at least when her work is done for the day she won't need to be surrounded by security guards before she can even leave the building.

Sword of Damocles right there.

"Sir, I'm sorry but I don't know what you're referring to"."

In WestWorld the androids say "That doesn't look like anything to me." Art imitates life, and sometimes life imitates art.

I think beeing in this kind of bubble for to long, automatically generates the perspective that you are the center of attention for the whole universe.

My grandfather had a nanny/servant, who had to do whatever the spoiled brat asked for. The result was a person, who automatically assumes that all other beeings have not meaning or intent and are in dire need of beeing pupeteered.

Its the sort of disgusting human beeing you regularly find to be CEO. Its one of the reasons they are also so fascinated with art- because art can not be created by pupeteering- as they are usually quite unimaginative.

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