Random Acts of Genorosity

An article from the June 21 issue of the New York Times Magazine quotes the CEO of the Hyatt hotel chain as saying that guests will now experience “random acts of generosity.” In true Las Vegas style, the hotel will do things like picking up the tab for your hotel-bar drinks or hotel-spa massage unexpectedly.

“Comps,” as they are called in the casino business, drive that industry crazy. Regular customers who lose $100 in the slots expect free dinners. The gambler’s sense of entitlement is generally way out of whack, and I can’t help but thinking that Hyatt is opening a can of worms here that they will regret.

The great irony though, as pointed out in the article, is that Hyatt is announcing these “unexpected” acts of generosity. Consumers sniff insincerity a mile a way. We’ll see how this turns out.

Read the full article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/magazine/21FOB-Consumed-t.html