I don’t often write about any of my media experiences, as I try to pass on information to the every day, consumer. Recalling the details and giving my thoughts in an honest, but constructive manner. I combine my sense of what is right as a participant, with my experience of what service and setting is to be. The latter thanks to my many years in the retail and service industry, coupled with my formal education on business and human resources management.
But this is where I will make the exception. Currently all the footage I have seen so far, from others invited to participate in the same exchange of food and drink for content, has painted their visit in a golden light. Whereas speaking to those in person, I know this to not be the case.
Tonight we were at ALAÏA, Richmond’s Versante hotel’s once caviar lounge turned would-be nightclub hot spot. We visited a day before their grand opening, advertised as a VIP experience with specialty activations and a live VIP DJ.
In full transparency, we were invited as media guess with a long list of requirements for output, coupled by deadlines in exchange for a list of goods and services.
The invitation was for myself, the principal, who is responsible for crafting the deliverables, as well as three of my friends. So the expectation here is that not only will I be taken care of, but my friends will be as well. Otherwise why have the invite with plus threes?
The promised experience listed the ability to try their three specialty cocktails, as well as the margarita tower or bottle service. Followed by their dim sum platter of shared bites.
We have been looking forward to this night for weeks now, and I made it clear to the the staff member running their social media page, who extended the invite of my intentions. My angle was boys night out, and I preferred the bottle service experience to further that vibe. They said everything will be arranged. However, it was not and this was just the beginning.
The math did not line up from the getgo. We were directed to a seating arrangement of couches and coffee table that could only seat three. I, of course allowed my invited guests to sit on the couch and sofa, and I sought out my own chair, to be able to sit with them.
Similarly, we were not given enough drinks for 4 people. I immediately headed straight to the bar to be able to serve my friends, and deliver to them the experience I said we were going to have, and the one they took an Uber out for. (None of us live in Richmond, this was a far way to travel)
However, I was sent back to my seat for a server that never came. I was later told that they were short staffed.
Eventually I tracked one down and she stated that we would be only getting one of each of their 3 specialty cocktails. I had to clarify if we were expected to share 3 drinks between 4 grown adults? The answer was “yes”. To that I replied, “I guess I won’t be able to try any then”, because naturally I am response for my guests and will offer the drinks to them.
Eventually, I asked to speak to the manager as they were not delivering on what I believed was promised in the agreement, so should I be responsible for my deliverables?
Not to sound entitled, this was a service in exchange for my time and body of work, and I was planning on keeping my end of the bargain in deliverables. And I did.
Mind you nothing was signed and there is no exchange of money for content. However, if you are a business, reaching out to some one and propositioning them something, I believe you should stay true to your word.
For the most part, the manager I spoke with was great, she heard my point of view and followed up asking “How can we make this right for you?” Working over 20 years in retail and service I can tell you that this is the right course of action. That when expectations do not match, and you want to better align it, this is the dialogue you need to have. Especially, when we were here to advertise their lounge.
I explained how the written agreement sounded and to that she responded that last week they were more generous with their drinks, but people got too drunk and threw up, so they had to stop. Similarly she stated they they offered groups both the margarita tower and the bottle experience, but they were not able to handle their liquor.
Clearly she does not know me and my friends. Why should we be punished for someone else’s negligence?
In the end I pled my case, and we agreed that we would get two cocktails each. This was two each of the specialty ones, as advertised. This came out fairly fast. Then over 30 minutes later came two long island iced tea cocktails. These were not on menu, or are they offered. They looked and tasted more like water and ice than tea and booze. We happily accepted it, but noted the desire for them to save costs here.
They specialize in infusing their own spirits. The two cocktails I tried used tea. The “Cha” Margarita with green tea infused vodka, tequila, lime juice, lemon syrup, and dried lime. This one changes colour with the use of butterfly pea flower to dye.
Of the two I liked The Black Tea cocktail the most. Black tea infused vodka, lemon syrup.
lemon juice, and dried lemon. You taste more of the tea than any spirit, but honestly at this point, everything from the bar felt watered down.
The cocktails were interesting enough, and did cater to their location and theme. We finished them, but they are definitely not the type of cocktails you start off a rowdy night with. These were better suited as a little pick-me-up during a high tea service. So we were just missing finger sandwiches and a scone tower tonight.
Our issue with quantity arose again when they brought out the dim sum platter. Six different pieces of dumplings for four people to share, plus one giant soup dumpling. Thankfully, by the time we got it, it was 10pm so we weren’t hungry anyways, and we certainly did not come to eat. However, with this discrepancy, I thought it my duty to provide in the moment feedback to the manager.
I was able to grab a hold of her again and told her that they should go back to the influencers and content creators who have yet to visit, and tell them that the invitation is ideal for just a plus one. That bringing an additional two would be too many mouths to feed, with not enough food and drink to be share. Her response was “this has never been an issue, until today”. I was taken aback, yet decided not to take it as the personal dig it came across as. Maybe more people questioned the math tonight, other than myself.
I did end up doing my own research and found that to not be the case. That other people were unhappy with what was promised versus what was given from this week and last week’s attendees. However, I only write from my perspective, so will not be going into this any further.
At the very end, she did thank me for my feedback, in order to improve. And eventually came back with another dim sum platter for us to share. This was despite us declining the offer. So I made sure to eat it all, considering the first one had us all too sheepish to try any. The platter has 5 dumplings, each one of a kind, with no way to split any 4 ways.
Their dim sum is also available a la carte, for what I can only guess is 3 pieces a plate for $12-18.
The Dim Sum Taster Platter is $45 and gives you one of everything. Their Alaia stamped pork belly bao, Black Truffle Siu Mai, HELL Spicy Siu Mai, Crystal Truffle Mushroom, Crystal Har Gow, and a sticky rice dumpling. Accompanied by a dish of chilli oil for dipping. The dim sum was decent, but nothing all that special, nor is it the caliber I expect from this luxury hotel with a whisky cellar and champagne & caviar brunch.
Other tables also got a BBQ Pork Bao to split 4 ways, but they forgot us. However, at this point I was tired of petitioning for ourselves, so didn’t bother.
I was interested in the giant Seafood Soup Dumpling. This came with two straws, but no soup. I think the intention was to poke the straw through the bun and drink in a crab and shrimp flavoured soup. However there was none. Biting into it the dough, everything fell apart in mush, the exterior matching the filling.
Not on the listed of promised food and drink, each table was also given a dish of Wagyu Beef Jerky to gnaw on. An interesting choice that didn’t match the delicate drinks, nor is jerky something I would gravitate towards during a night of drinking. But we were not about to bite the hand that fed us.
And then, when it came time to claim either the margarita tower or the bottle service, we were told they were not enough towers for everyone to have the former. This was just as well, as we wanted the bottle service anyways for our “guys night out” theme.
However, we learned that we will not be getting the bottle, but only a shot. Because once again, the week before a lot of people got too drunk and threw up. Here, I had to negotiate some more. From the promise of a bottle to only one shot each, after the sharing of 3 cocktails between four people, it felt like they were pulling a fast one on everyone invited.
In the end after more negotiations, we were given two shots each, which I ended up sharing with the table beside us. This was just as well, because the shots did not deliver either.
We had the option of either Grey Goose or Patron, we went with the tequila and got it with lime. Shots pre-poured in glasses, after the bottle service girls only ceremoniously bobbed and shook with appropriate branded light-up signs.
As an extra touch, the manager had my name listed on the sign, a token she said that they were not doing for anyone, but did so for me to make me feel better about the night.
But I digress, we took our round of shots, only to realize this was not Patron. They did not know the drinking experience of myself and my party, we can tell the difference between Patron and Jose Cuervo, and what we got was a watered down version of the latter. Even the liquid in the display bottle was off-colour and not as viscous, as it moved about the bottle. It looked like water, which might just be for the display, but once again this was definitely not what we were promised.
So here again, I ask, do I have to complete my end of the bargain and do as the document asked for in my deliverables? Especially when the staff and management at ALAÏA did not? Although I did appreciate the manager I spoke to’s resolution, and she did save the day by adding a little custom touch to the experience. However this was a souring enough visit for me to cancel my plans to stop by the next day, skipping on their grand opening.
In short, I have fulfilled my end of the bargain by posting a collaborative reel to instagram, and one to Tik Tok; and posting at least one Instagram story tagging Alaïa, highlighting something I enjoyed at the venue. This blog post is just bonus.
ALAÏA
Versante Hotel
8400 West Rd #115, Richmond, BC V6X 0S7
(604) 242-2760
