Our Desk | Macau’s (new) low standards

Renato Marques

In a region that survives almost exclusively on tourism and the service sector, we should expect that its service standards would be of a so-called “world-class level.”
In reality, the attempt to transform this ancient trading port into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, the word “class” seems to have been forgotten somewhere along the way.
If it is true that in the early part of the process of gaming liberalization, Macau developed exponentially and significantly expanded its offerings of five-star hotels, renowned restaurants, and other services for tourists, much of which also benefited locals, it is also true that the enforcement of rules and standards has faded and, to me, far faster than expected.
Probably the best example of what I am saying can be found in the multimillion-dollar hotel units from the Peninsula to Cotai, where the service prices and brand tags seem to belie the service standard.
If in the past we kept blaming the high number of visitors for the rushed, careless and (sometimes) even rude service provided by these places, the current situation seems to have removed that flimsy explanation to reveal the truth behind such service.
One would have thought that with the Covid-19 pandemic and border restrictions imposed on the tourists that caused Macau to, at least somewhat, return to its old days, the service provided by the hospitality industry would improve as they now, more than ever, need to cater to all those who continue to choose to spend their money across these premises.
In reality, that is exactly the opposite of what is happening. The unimpressive standards are plummeting to something that I have decided to call the “new low.”
“There is nothing worse than bad customer service,” someone once said, trying to explain that even inexpensiveness does not justify poor quality. This comment suggests that many people do not mind paying a little extra for a better experience, especially when they are on holidays, or trying to relax away from everyday stress.
A couple of months ago, the director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Helena de Senna Fernandes, noted multiple times that the figures expected for tourism recovery this year are not so optimistic, so the secret of recovery would be in “taking good care of those that will come” to ensure the image of Macau is not just a “safe place to travel to” but also a quality destination.
The current level of service shows that such ideas have not yet reached the management of highly-renowned brands in Macau. Instead, these places seem to be much more concerned with making patacas to fill the hole of last year’s bad results than to look ahead to the future.
The norm now seems to be to dismiss as many staff as possible to reduce “expenses” and hire low-cost workers – the more desperate, the less qualified and experienced, the better. This way, the salary offered to these new workers can be as low as hiring a domestic helper from the mainland, according to some of our lawmakers.
When confronted with this, the government looks away and tells residents, especially those dismissed from these multinational corporations, to stop being “picky” when applying for new jobs.
In the meantime, those same companies continue calling for an easing of the restrictions that regulate the recruiting of unqualified non-resident workers to fill the posts left by the many dismissed workers.
The standards for recruitment have become so low that now, for some people, astoundingly, holding a Macau ID card and speaking four languages has become a handicap.