Service Keeps Miami Hotels from Getting Top Ranking

Mobil Travel Guide inspectors have once again relegated the Miami area’s fanciest hotels to four stars, blaming service shortcomings for withholding the top-tier ranking.

Four stars do not come easily. Only eight hotels in South Florida made the cut in the 2007 Mobil rankings released last week, and none are in Broward County or the Florida Keys.

But the continued lack of a five-star hotel denies South Florida a milestone in its push for more affluent travelers –and touches on the Miami area’s reputation for subpar service.

The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to spend $225,000 over two years on a new customer-service initiative that will include television spots urging residents to be more hospitable to visitors.

Hotel managers say a tight labor market and a heavy concentration of non-English speakers make customer service an uphill fight.