Customer Service at Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu
Posted on 1 December 2010 | 1 response | 1,302 views
Warning: Long article ahead
Due to a friend, I got the chance to stay at Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu since they had this promo rate where we only paid P1,200/night to stay at this new hotel in the Queen City of the South. Although the building was really old since it wasn’t occupied for a long time after the construction was finished back in the 90′s, you could see that everything is spic-and-span.
the lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu
Upon entering the lobby, you will notice how spacious the area is. The staff are also courteous and very polite. As a new hotel in town, I guess one of their top most priority is to please their clients.
I really liked Radisson Blu Hotel. Everything was brand new. Everything looked neat and the deluxe rooms where we stayed also looked impressive.
What I didn’t like are their goose-feathered pillows and duvet comforters since there was a certain smell that came with it. Of course it is hard to get rid of that scent due to the material used in it. I just don’t like its smell. It’s like smelling my brother’s pillow when he uses them and the scent of his sweat gets stuck in the pillow. That was the reason why I didn’t like it. But that’s not really a biggie.
the hotel room’s LAN dock
The only major thing I didn’t like about Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu is their internet connection. Positioning as a business hotel wouldn’t work for this hotel if they can’t fix their internet connection. They will just get irate clients if they keep up with this poor added feature in their hotel.
I agreed to stay here in the hopes of getting free wi-fi or internet access while working comfortably but their internet connection sucks big time. The first night I stayed here, I could hardly connect online. I had to use my Smart Bro Plug-it in order to get access to the Internet but this one’s slow too. Then on the second night, everything was fine. The speed of their wi-fi connection was pretty fast. I Was able to do my work that night. Then I went home to sleep in our place and came back the next day. I thought that their internet connection was fine that time. But it wasn’t. Even if I used their LAN or wifi connection, I couldn’t connect online. So I had to do what I had to do. I called up the operator and told them of my dilemma. They said that their IT personnel has left for the day and they couldn’t do anything and kept on apologizing and recommended to turn me over to their Duty Manager. I had to turn irate on the operator (even if I wasn’t) and asked her how am I gonna work now that they can’t provide me with the proper Internet connection. She said she’ll just ask their duty manager to give me a call.
In less than 15 minutes, I got a call from their duty manager who was asking me what my concern was. I told him I couldn’t connect online using their wired or wireless internet connection. Their homepage designed for the hotel won’t even show up on my laptop. Then I asked them if they can powercycle whatever system they are using to be able to refresh everything. He said that it wasn’t possible since it might cut the connection of the other guests using their internet. Then I thought to myself and asked him “So you mean I am the only one complaining at this hour?” This was actually at 1030pm. He said “Yes”. I didn’t believe him.
Anyway, he offered for me to use their business center so that I can finish whatever work I needed to finish. I asked what time it will close. He said 11pm. That won’t work for me. I told him I do online work so I really need access to the internet. He then told me he will try to contact their IT staff and get back to me as soon as he gets word from them.
After 15 minutes, he phoned again.
Duty Manager: “Hello, Ms. ___ are you still having issues with your internet connection?”
Me: “Yes”.
Duty Manager: “Is it okay if I get inside your room and have a look at it so that we can check what the problem is?”
Me: “Ok”.
Duty Manager: “I’m actually outside your room now. Is it ok for me to get inside?”
Me (toinks! wanted to laugh while at the same time got impressed by this kind of service): “Ok”
rebooting Lenny as part of my T/S steps on connecting online
Then I opened the door and I met the Duty Manager. I forgot to ask his name or check his name plate. But I showed him how I couldn’t even see their homepage where it will ask me to Accept their terms of service before using the internet. I also told him that I already rebooted my laptop a couple of times and both tried the LAN and wi-fi connection to no avail. All this time, he was taking down notes. And after determining that I really couldn’t connect online, he left and told me he’d call back.
At the back of my mind, I thought that they really cared for their clients making sure concerns are not left unanswered.
Then he called again. He mentioned that since I couldn’t connect well, they’ll give me access to their business center where I can use it as long as I wanted for the rest of the night till we got the problem fixed. I told them I’m fine with it.
But after getting stressed from those troubleshooting, I just told them I’d just sleep this over and work tomorrow.
Then the next day, someone came to our room. His name was Vexer from their IT Department and he was bringing an HP laptop with him. He helped me try to troubleshoot the problem. He could see that I cannot access their main page too. Then I told him that I can however, access the internet using my Smart Bro Plug-it. He also tried to say that sometimes if I load too many pages, it won’t work but I showed him how I can browse different websites using my Smart Bro Plugit. Having worked for an ISP company, I know my way through troubleshooting internet connection issues so I was not a novice at this. He, however, can access both the wi-fi and LAN connection from his laptop. I couldn’t. I was thinking that probably it has something to do with his laptop’s configurations too being that it was a property of the hotel or something.
The only solution he found was to ask for my wireless MAC ID so that he can register it in their system and give me access to their 5mbps speed. I learned that each of the rooms there are only allowed a burstable speed of 2.5 mbps. What he’s offering me was access to the higher speed without the need to access that homepage where I had to accept the terms of usage. I was able to accesss the net after this via LAN connection but still couldn’t via wifi. The LAN connection was still slow. And since my other companion had to use the internet too, I just gave the LAN connection to my companion while I continued to use my Smart Bro Plug-it.
In a way, I was disappointed at how I couldn’t use the hotel’s free wi-fi or wired internet connection. But after the treatment I received from the hotel’s staff, I know that I had to concede since they have already given me the best option possible.
I liked the fact that the Duty Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu did everything they can to fix my concern. There was a quick response from the management (or maybe there are really not that many guests there which was why he was able to respond to my concern quickly). Or perhaps it was also due to a sign I saw on the table letting their clients know that if they don’t like the service, they are not required to pay to compensate for the dissatisfaction. Am not sure.
One thing I know is that I appreciate the quick response I got from the hotel staff when I aired out my concerns and I hope the management and staff of the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu will continue this good performance till forever. I just hope this is not for show just because the hotel is still new and there are lesser guests around.
P.S. On Friday, at around 1200nn I turned on the housekeeping button. I waited for an hour and no one came. Then I called the operator telling them my room needed cleaning but no one still came. There was a housekeeping cart 5 rooms down the hall and I specifically mentioned this to the operator. She said she’ll let housekeeping head know ASAP. I think I called them 5 times to follow up. It was almost 2 hours and still no one came. I wanted to speak to the housekeeping personnel for some specific instructions but I had to leave. When I went out of the room, the housekeeping cart I saw down the hallway skipped my room and was cleaning the room next time mine. Grrrrrrrrr. I just sent a text message to my companion to keep calling the hotel and follow up on cleaning the room.
For more information on the this new hotel in Cebu City, check this out – Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu
Eating Ginataang Kinason at Langka
Posted on 30 November 2010 | No responses | 618 views
My mom really cooks great food so a person like me who’s been dying to go on a diet will really have a hard time resisting the dishes she prepares for us on every meal. Ever since, she makes it a point to serve at least two dishes on each meal to have a balanced meal in our dinner table. I’ve pleaded countless times for her to avoid cooking great tasting food so that I won’t be distracted with my diet but to no avail 
No matter how hard I try to resist them, they keep saying “Hi” to me. And if I don’t eat them, they might make “tampo” or “mangluod”.
one of the dishes I love to eat
Instead of eating oats for dinner, I end up nomnoming this “ginataang langka at kinason” along with “paksiw na bangus” (milk fish cooked in vinegar) for dinner. To eat the kinason, you just need to suck the shells to force the meat out. If nothing comes out, suck the other part of the shell. If you are just sucking air, that means that there’s no longer any meat inside the shell and move on to the next shell. However, when sucking the bottom side of the shell and you feel the meat, reverse it again and suck the main hole of the shell to force the meat out 
Then remove the shell-like small circle from the meat. If you also find the greenish bottom part of the meat bitter, you can also remove it before eating the rest of the shell’s meat.
When I asked my mom what’s the tagalog name of kinason, she said it’s hala-an. Langka is jackfruit and ginataan is anything cooked with coconut milk. Happy eating! 
On Parking Cars
Posted on 30 November 2010 | No responses | 343 views
I never received any formal driving lessons. My father taught me everything there is to know about driving cars. I can remember back when the car we used to practice driving had its gears reversed. Meaning, the 1st gear is on the reverse gear on a normal car and the reverse gear is the 1st gear. Can you imagine that? Then the driving wheels were so hard to maneuver. I had to do major “pawis” steering instead of power steering to maneuver the car.
I was forced to drive a car on my own when my pop went on a business trip for 2 weeks and my work schedule is at 3am. To save on taxi fares, I had to use the car. After going on a 3-day crash course with my pop, I managed to go to work bringing the FX. Although I never had problems with road accidents back then, my dilemma was purely parking the car. There were instances where I bumped trees causing dents to the car. There was also a time where I ruined the car’s rims since I was parking too close to a lamp post and failed to realize that the rims were already too close to the corner cement stand of the lamp post. I was really lucky to be bumping non-living things back then. To date, I only had 1 major road accident which I wasn’t proud of and which explains my fear of driving steep roads.
I think I’ve been driving since 2005. My dad taught me really well when it comes to driving and parking cars. One of the basic things he required was when we park a car we should do a perpendicular parking with the back in first so that we could drive out of the parking space easily. It wasn’t really simple at first since he also required me to just look at the rear view mirror and side mirrors. In time, I got the hang of it. And because of this, I suck at parking cars with the head/front in first.
Recently, my pop and I drove to Ayala to have dinner with an aunt who were vacationing from Australia. He was driving the car and after we found a nice spot to park, I kinda wanted to grab the wheels from him so that I could park the car myself. I wasn’t too sure what was going on in his mind when he was parking the car coz when before it would only take him one swift maneuver to park the car properly, this one didn’t. I couldn’t understand why it took him a long time to park the car when he had all the space he could use. I was teasing him how he was getting old and how he might need a pair of eyeglasses.
see the wide parking space on driver’s side and how close the FX was to the wall?
I wanted to offer to drive us home after that dinner but I didn’t since my pop might notice how reckless I drive Took this picture to show to my mom how he parked the FX and to continuously tease him how he’s really getting old. hehehe.
Our second hand Toyota Tamarraw FX has been with us since 2001. And since then, this car has proven its worth all these years even after undergoing a major surgery from being in total wreck.
Write A Hate Post For a Chance to Win 10,000 Pesos!
Posted on 30 November 2010 | No responses | 372 views
I learned from Batang Yagit‘s shoutouts in Plurk and in Facebook that he had had the worst experience riding Zest Air when he was on his way back to Manila from Iloilo after the Visayas Blogging Summit. His flight was rescheduled to a non-existing flight and to make matters worse, he was asked to pay for not showing up on the flight.
And then today, I saw this contest published online by Jehzlau Concepts. P10,000 is up for grabs! What you only need to do is write a hate post about your experience with Zest Air or imagine yourself being stuck in the same scenario Batang Yagit had to endure and write about your reactions.
To know more of this contest, check out this link here – A Cool Contest Before November Ends.
For more information on Batang Yagit’s horrible Zest Air experience, click here.
Sunset at UPV Miag-ao
Posted on 29 November 2010 | No responses | 367 views
sunset by the beach
The students of the University of the Philippines Visayas Miagao campus are so lucky to have access to a beach where they can take a dip after a stressful school day while enjoying the view of the setting sun on this side of the Panay Island. I envy them. If I knew this was one of the perks of studying in UPV Miag-ao, I would have made that as my 1st choice campus when I took the UPCAT and perhaps studied fisheries too
To Julie, thanks for the tour! I’ll definitely pray I can go back to this place in the future
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