Recently I had the unpleasant experience of staying at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale Arizona who is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Starwood has had an active Lean Six Sigma Program for almost 8 years now, but if your giving lip service to quality (Six Sigma) and efficiency (lean) and low cost value to customers (both lean and Six Sigma) then customers will naturally stop doing business with you.

You decide if Starwood’s is "walking the talk".

- They believe in transparent invoicing and financial reporting. Is this lip service or walking the talk?

I say lip service. Why? Because during a recent conference at the hotel where I registered under the conference code, they sent me the hotel contract agreement that clearly mentions room cost, taxes, etc... But a new $4.00 a day maid service was added to my bill at the end. Now I happen to know that this charge was not contractually negotiated, it clearly was not on my contract, and it was not communicated to me any time, but was added to my bill. Did the hotel manager correct this when this issue was raised? No, because they are too busy tripping over dollars to pick up dimes. I was nickel and dimed every minute of the stay. $4 to print my airline ticket. $13 for a baby size - 4 oz - bottle of ginger ale and 2 Pepto Bismol, when I was trying to recover from food poisoning. $20 per day if I had left my vehicle in Valet parking over night. Good thing I caught that print on my ticket when I was checking in so I could move the vehicle to self-parking. Oh and if you want a drink, enjoy the everyday low $12 drinks - that's their happy hour price. Oh and don't get me started on the mini bar. Oh did I mention $15/day internet connection but that is just in your room, it’s over $50 if you want access across the rest of the hotel.

Is the customer important? Walk the Talk or Lip Service? I had 2 guests over for drinks in my room as we had a nice view over the golf course - for the discounted $250 / night - I was enjoying that view. We must have gotten loud and a guest complained twice. Instead of calling my room and asking that we quiet down, they sent a thug up to my room. This Hells Angel looking security guard would not stop banging on my door until the guests left - which he escorted back to their rooms - like a good chaperon. Look, I have no problem with quieting down, but to have a hotel security agent get in my face and threaten me, then continue to get hostile with my guests, is unhelpful. What is Starwood hiring x-convict or steroid macho security personnel to cut costs or is that supposed to represent a reasonable approach?

I am all for Starwood doing Lean Six Sigma - but walk your talk and don't give lip service to customer service, quality, or efficiency. Marriott and Hilton and many others provide a full refund with their 100% guest satisfaction policy - that shows they have skin in the game and are committed to the customer experience being positive. Starwood did respond to my complaints with an offer to have me return if in the area so they can try to improve upon my last visit and nickel and dime me some more. I don't think so - no Do Over's in real life. No they have lost me as a customer, lost the $80k as a returning conference sponsor next year, lost the over 130 guest’s stays and special service banquets that we held.

Let this be a lesson to other businesses. If you say your going to practice Lean Six Sigma and then mistreat your customers, over and/or mischarge them, and not have any skin in the game with competitive value propositions, then don't be surprised when you lose customer loyalty, have to read about the "Voice of Your Customers" such as stories like this, and the many more blog postings and reviews I am in-process of publishing.

Walk the talk Starwood - and until they do, consider this forewarning should you decide to stay in Scottsdale Arizona - avoid the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, least you get robbed as I have.