Chapter 8, Additional Exercise 3: Sorry About the Alarms and the Cold Water

Chapter 8, Additional Exercise 3: Sorry About the Alarms and the Cold Water

The manager of an expensive hotel sent the following letter to guests who had experienced the problems he refers to in the first paragraph. In a brief memo to your instructor, evaluate the letter. Which elements of the letter are persuasive? Which are not? Be prepared to share your findings with the class. (See Chapter 14 for a discussion of memos.)

June 18, 2015

Dear Valued Guest:

Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience that you experienced on Sunday morning when our Hotel's emergency alarm system was activated and again on Monday when there was a shortage of hot water. We regret that it took an extended time for you to be able to return to your rooms, but we and the Boston Fire Department had to be completely sure that there was no immediate danger.

As a token of our gratitude for your patience and understanding, we would like to offer you the opportunity to visit our Hotel once again at a discounted rate. Please accept this letter as a certificate to stay overnight at The Eastin Boston at 50% off our best available rate. Please contact our reservations department locally at 617.555.9600 to coordinate your one-night stay prior to December 28, 2015.

We assure you that the safety and comfort of our guests is always in the forefront of our minds. We appreciate your confidence and sincerely hope that you will take advantage of our offer, as it would be our pleasure to welcome you back. We promise to do everything in our power to ensure a pleasant and peaceful night's sleep on your return visit.

Sincerely,

Arthur Plant

General Manager