Tell us: What was the best hotel service experience you’ve had?
6 Comments
This summer I’m going through a big stack of books that talk about providing better service and experiences. It’s helping me understand what new marketing looks like, which may be summed up this way:
New hotel marketing: Memorable experiences, Better communication, Superior service
But without examples, that can be a little trite. The best way for us to really learn how to do this is through stories.
So share with us in the comments: What was the most remarkable hotel service experience you’ve had?
I like the little things – like when I stayed at the Tailor Made Hotel, and was contacted prior to arrival to plan a custom itinerary for my stay in Buenos Aires. All of their suggestions were right on, and I was able to dine and shop like a local. I had free access to Mac computers, drinks, and other services that made me feel well cared for (without being intrusive).
Now it’s your turn – share your experiences in the comments below….
[Photo credit: Andrea Rinaldi]
You should enter your email below to receive new tips like this each Monday morning:
+1 347 422 6784
That is a terrific question, Josiah! Our answers must certainly reflect our personalities and I’m eager to hear the answers.
I’ve been blessed to have wonderful hospitality experiences, but the very best – hands down – involved personal connections I made. Sometimes the connections involved being on a first name basis (and the resulting comradery) with the entire staff – from the GM to the housekeepers and servers. I will never forget the convention I attended with a cast on my leg and the attention and love I felt from everyone there. Sometimes the connections I remember were with other hotel guests, but always, the best memories involved the personal experiences.
Who doesn’t love a 5-star hotel experience? But when I look back and smile at my most memorable hotel stays, I almost never remember the quality of the sheets – but the human connections? I never forget them…
Great fodder for thought! Thank you!
Diana Driscoll
I love this, Diana – and think I’ll tweet it!
“When I look back and smile at my most memorable hotel stays, I almost never remember the quality of the sheets – but the human connections”
Good stuff
Thanks so much, Josiah! As a “lurker” and fan of your blog for quite a while now, I felt it was time to jump in.
You put out some terrific content, and have some tremendous interviews. Keep up the good work, for all of us hoteliers – both the lurkers and the more vocal!
Dear Josiah,
well, best hotel experience is not thtat easy to remember…. I’d rather remember my worst ones, as they quite firmly sit in my mind for years… however, I think my best hotel experience was in LV in South Point hotel, where everything was arranged for me in the best way, the room was awesome and really huge, I had a wonderful view from the window, the staff was friendly, I was never interrupted by the housekeeping despite I stayed in my room for quite some time (I’ve been there for a conference)… and the food was really delicious, the waiters were quick and friendly…
I am not one of those people who always finds bad things where they don’t lay on the surface… so I was really pleased and delighted with what I had there…
I also agree with Diana about human connections, they do mean a lot and change the whole picture… I remember when I was working in China for Interlaken hotel OCT, I was once invited by the sales department for lunch at the hotel as my English friends from HK were coming, and they were travel agents for the hotel, so to make it more friendly I was there, and I turned out to be the only European at the table… but I must say that the attitude of the whole staff even in tiny things has just changed in a second as they realied the power of connections… (you know for countries like my country or China this really matters)
So I enjoyed the very best of service despite I was just for internship at the Front Desk…
You know, actually it is nice that you not only share good thoughts, but make people think and get more ideas from thinking… I am not very focused on how bad and good experiences relate in our memory…
))
Cheers
Mila.
Great initiative here Josiah.
By the way I guess think start out with a question. You mention that are going through a stack of books related to customer service. I do the same here. What are some of the books you recommend when comes to learning more about customer service? One of my favorite ones is ‘The New Gold Standard’ by Joseph A. Michelli. This book gives you a inside scoop of the legendary customer experience provided by Ritz-Carlton. Awesome information.
I had a lot of great Hotel Experiences. One of the better ones I had was with my wife, and that was at Marriott Harbor Beach in Fort Lauderdale, FL. When a hotel is able in a creative way to capture our needs before we arrive, and then deliver that above and beyond then I am impressed. And it is really amazing how much of a difference those small but still classy touches makes. When you receive a note ahead of your stay about how excited the Hotel is to serve me with minor suggestions, and then I receive a letter as a follow up when I arrive home informing me how much it meant to them having me as a guest… Then you never worry about how much spent because the value of my Hotel Experience will be more worth to me then what I paid for it. And this Hotel will be a natural selection for us when we go back to Fort Lauderdale again.
And it was for me and my wife as it was for Dianne the Human connections made this such a memorable stay for us.
When you are able with a small touch to make an impact in my hart then you truly know how to create a superior customer experience.
Cheers.. Are
Great story! Gathering needs & preferences is such an easy thing – but it can make all the difference in the world IF the hotel acts on them. (Otherwise, it’s just a waste….)
And thanks for the recommendation of ‘The New Gold Standard’ by Joseph A. Michelli – it’s coming up next on my reading list!