A closer reading will reveal that I'm not talking about superficial appearances, but the interface. That's an important distinction.
When I start talking about the Ritz and high-end consultants, I'm discussing the interface, which of course includes the "far better beds, cleaner & safer rooms, better food..." and consistency you're trying to contrast with appearance. I would agree that those things are more than superficial and are extremely important to the experience of the user, because that's exactly the point I'm making.
The beds and concierge are nicer at the Ritz, and the interface (note: not appearance) and support are better at Palantir (or, as we're discussing here, at Snowflake).
Maybe your Ritz experiences have been different than mine, but IMHO all hotel rooms are concrete boxes with a facsimile of home stuffed inside them, copied and pasted as many times as local demand will merit.
Hotel restaurants are the same principle, except replace furnishing with food.
I've stayed at everything from a Motel 6, to Courtyards / Residence Inns / Sheratons between NYC and San Diego, to Four Seasons / Ritz Carltons.
I stand by my claim. The relative differentiation in niceness is swamped by their mass produced boxness.
Ironically, my favorite road chain tends to be Aloft. At least they're upfront about their capsule-esque nature, in a sort of ironic/not-ironic way?
Least favorite: Embassy Suites. shudders It's like every Disney vacationing family's fantasy about what a hotel should be... packed with every Disney vacationing family. Omelette?
The point of hotel chains, and chains in general, is the consistency of the mass-produced experience. I can walk into a DoubleTree hotel anywhere in the world and get the same welcome cookie. It's a positive, not a negative; people often enjoy knowing what they're going to get. If you prefer a more unique experience, which is perfectly understandable, then simply avoid chains perhaps?
That's my point, but extended: I feel like walking into any hotel chain (including different product tiers and luxury brands) gives effectively the same experience.
Don't get me wrong, there's a benefit to consistency of product (especially when you travel Su-F for consulting).
But that benefit, parent company consolidation, and economies of scale drive a net result of overwhelming homogeneity.
Totally get your point of view, and I share it in vacation contexts.. As the hotel chains have consolidated, they slice pennies everywhere.
When I'm travel for business or putting my head on a pillow on a roadtrip, consistency makes my life easier and less stressful. I'm a gorilla-sized person :), I would rather stay at higher end hotel that provides an actual bath sheet than a marriott whatever where I have to call for 6 towels. Surprises aren't delightful at 10PM when you've been on the road for 15 hours.
I got eaten up by gnats (they claim not bed bugs) over a week at a particularly nice hotel. On the plus side, nothing came home with me, the bites healed, and they gave me enough "points" as compensation to cover a luxury hotel in Barcelona for 2 weeks. So... Future Self can look back on the experience with a smile.
