Thank you for that perfect analogy! I have often marveled at the lack of polish and profesionalism at WDW Moderate and Deluxe hotels. They get away with front-line service staff like you'd find in a basic Fairfield Inn, or at best a decent Sheraton. But they charge prices like you'd find at a Ritz, or even a Mandarin Oriental if you are there at the wrong time of year. Amazing!
And this is something I've noticed at the West Coast Disney hotels too; most notably the Grand Californian where the only people to greet me with a smile and hello were the Spanish-speaking housekeeping staff I passed in the corridors. The English speaking desk clerks, bellmen and front of house staff pretend to not work in the service industry most of the time; they are too cool to provide gracious service, and Disney has not trained them well on how to even begin to do that if they have the inclination. Pay the same amount per night at the nearby Laguna Ritz Carlton, Montage, or Newport Islands hotel, and you are treated like royalty by perfectly turned out and polished staff, so it can be done in SoCal just as it can in any other big city at that price point. But not on Disney property, apparently.
Ending a mandatory transaction with a cheesy smile and
"Have a Magical Day!" does not excuse all your other service deficiences and your lack of overall profesionalism.
