Worst experience at the Lingela

My mother made an online booking for the lingela for Saturday for 13 people. The booking was for my grandfather's 83rd birthday. She later called on Thursday to confirm the booking and to request that our table be near the buffet, as we had three 80 year olds in our party who cannot walk far. When we got there we were informed that no booking could be found and did not exist. We asked if a table could be set up in the coffee shop near the buffet and were promptly refused. The manager at the restaurant said that she could do nothing and suggested that I go somewhere else. They suggested I take my grandfather to the bar and have supper there(how idiotic). The manager who manages the grill and V&V took me to the hotel next door to show me what was available but eneded up not being suitable for a 83rd birthday party. He then took me to the grill in which I was informed that they were incapable of simply putting two tables together as that is not what a bistro does (like I care). Over the next hour and a half I met several management staff who all introduced themselves as managers, only soon after to notify me that they could not do anything to help me as they had no power. After some negotiation we agreed to sit at the grill on two separate tables so long as my grandparents could get their food at buffet. The managers refused us. I then called the hotel call center to ask the main manger to come meet me. After waiting more than 10 mins she pitched up only to tell me that she too could do nothing (surprise surprise ). The reason why we chose the buffet is because my grandparents don't eat most things served at a bistro. It was only when my uncle started screaming in the lobby that the main manager agreed to set up the very table in the coffee shop which we asked for to begin with when we fist got there. We were eventually seated at small coffee tables and were forced to eat there at 20:30. Bearing in mind that our reservation was for 18:30. While my aunt was waiting at the grill with her two young kids, she asked if she could have some bread rolls which she said she would pay for but was refused by the female manager who said that she had to order something from the menu first. Throughout this time all the staff refused to believe that they had an online booking system to make reservations and never knew one existed. I was kind enough to show them the confirmation email as well as how the site worked and how to use it(I expect Elangeni to compensate me for teaching services rendered). The main manager whom I waited for 10 mins in the lobby and whom my uncle had screamed at, informed us that she would check if the reservation existed on her system and would let us know what happened. At 21:00 I approached the bemused staff at the reception desk to ask why the manager hadn't come to see me yet. They then called her and said that I had to wait. I requested that she come to my table and that I was not willing to wait. At 22:30 I went back to the desk as the manager had not come to see me. The staff had informed me that she had left for the night just a little while before. She did not have the decency to admit that they had made a mistake and that it was there fault. I now proceeded to argue with some junior manager until he brought his manager from the retaurant who brought the new main manager. This manager informed me when I asked how was I to be compensated for waiting two hours, eating and celebrating my grandfather's birthday at a coffee table and making my 88 year old granny walk up and down the Elangeni, even though I requested a wheelchair for her. The manager responded that they were only allowed to comp me for two people's meals and no more and that there was nothing more they could do. I spoke to a total of 8 managers that night who did nothing for me. She too agreed that making 80 year old people walk the furthest of everyone in the restaurant just to get food was unfair and that two meal comp was not sufficient. YOU WASTED HALF MY NIGHT, FIGHTING WITH ALL YOUR GOOD FOR NOTHING MANAGERS WHO CAN'T DO THIEIR JOB. There is no accountability at this hotel. You will find better management at a fast food restaurant than you will at this place. The new managers on duty informed me that they would get their manager to call me in the morning. We only left the restaurant after 11, as the staff didn't know how to use the card machine. We were supposed to leave before 9. I wonder if the manager will really call me tomorrow. Its amazig how a place can have so many mangers all doing absolutely nothing. Even the call center was not answering as I called continuously through the night. If they had just organised better tables and given us what we wanted which was a table at the coffee when we got there within the first ten minutes, there would have been much less of a problem. It took 2 hours of screaming and fighting to get that in the end. The word "no" was rife throughout the night, thats not how hospitality works. The Elangeni was in no way hospitable. We didn't even get the full benefit of the buffet as we were so late and by the time we finished eating most of the desserts were gone. I spent my whole night fighting with all the stafff. At least they know they have a website now as even the managers were gobsmacked at the proof of its existence. Education is always the answer to stupidity. Thanks for nothing. You runied my grandfather's birthday.

Futhermore, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell Elangeni how to improve the service in future: 1) Inform your staff as to what a website is and how it works.

2) Teach them how to take reservations and manage online bookings.

3)Stop hiring so many managers who all essentially do the same thing and simultaneously can't do anything.

4) Define accountability to your staff then teach them how to say "I'm sorry, it's our fault. We messed up".

5) Put just one manager on duty who doesn't have to call another one off duty in order to make a decision, this is called decision procrastination.

6) When a customer is fighting with your manager, don't laugh because you are next.

7) Try not to be so amused when customers get angry as that tends to make them more angry. A mess up is not a laughing matter.

8) In terms of hospitality, try to anticipate the customers needs or problems and realise that using coffee tables for dinner won't work. Send your staff up to the function halls where we have weddings to get proper tables.

9) If the customer is teaching you how to do your job, you have already lost their respect.

10) Empathy is the key to hospitality, if you don't want your 88 year old granny walking all over the hotel then don't make mine do it.

Should you need any further advice as to how to run a hotel. I'm more than happy to help.