So after two LONG days in the car, stopping at about a dozen of the most God-forsaken truck stops on the planet, and sleeping in what is hands-down the nastiest motel in Tennessee, we finally dragged ourselves into our very nice, newly renovated 3.5 star hotel in the big D.
I'm sure we looked and smelled like a bunch of street orphans. Maybe that's why the girl behind the reception desk didn't look up as we approached. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She did look up, but only briefly, then dropped her eyes right back to her computer.
I gave her my name and politely told her we had a reservation. Without looking up, she simply stated:
"I'll need a credit card and your driver's license."
Maybe I was just tired, or maybe I had inhaled too many diesel fumes at all those truck stops, because at that point in the process I did something a bit uncharacteristic for me. I got a little snippy. I took a step back, and exclaimed (maybe a little too loudly):
"What???? Where's the 'Welcome to the Doubletree Hotel, Henson family! We're so glad you're here! Thank you for driving 1000 miles just to stay with us!'"
I still feel bad (only a little) for the look on her face. It told me that she knew. She knew she missed that low-hanging opportunity to make a big impression and create a warm welcome for me and my ragamuffin family.
She paused for a moment, then did her best to recover:
"I do have something SPECIAL for you," she said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster given her recent spanking.
She reached under the desk, grabbed four small bags and handed them to me. Inside each bag was a warm Doubletree signature chocolate chip cookie. Now, I won't go so far as to say I choose to stay at Doubletree hotels just for those cookies, but man, those are crazy good cookies.
And even those mouth-watering bits of deliciousness didn't offset the lack of true welcome we were really craving.
Make no mistake, we scarfed those cookies like cavemen, leaving chocolate and crumbs all over our faces and not caring one little bit.
But the lesson here (and I hope we all learn it) is that connection is more important than cookies.
Don't ever let your gimmicks, prizes, or processes (no matter how yummy they are) replace what your customers, teammates, and family truly desire -- the simple act of you looking them in the eye and saying "Welcome! I'm glad you're here."
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I just might have been tempted to comment that I could drive .2 minutes from my office and get those same warm cookies. A warm greeting, having just driven 2 days, would have been much MORE special and much more appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks, as always, for the laugh and the lesson!
Mary F
I loved your story and identified with the scenario.
ReplyDeleteWhy does HR hire people who do not have customer service skills? It's hard to know who to blame for situations like that.
I find myself saying, "There are too many people unemployed to settle for people in your company who do not do their job, provide good customer service, etc."
I agree with debbiependell.com. Hire the employees with the WOW factor, you can teach them the rest, but it's difficult if not impossible to 'teach/train' a front line employee to be polite, dynamic and outgoing. I have found, they either have IT or they don't.
ReplyDeleteI loved this story. It speaks so true to how so many people in position looses sight that they too have customers and that they aren’t there to “just do their job”. You never know how a simple jester might change someone’s life and or mood.
ReplyDeleteS.Sump
I agree that it was the clerk making the quick assumption that your family was less than the best clientele who normally check in because you were tired and probably not looking your best. I have seen it happen at other high end hotels to other people, but not at Disney resorts. I think you should have mentioned it to management on duty or by survey. We can't all look 100% our best all the time. Even airline travel and time changes can wear you down to where you can't wait to get to your room to freshen up and relax. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI stayed at a Doubletree Hotel in Orlando, FL last week. The people were nice, but they were understaffed. After a long day at Universal Studios, a shorter line to check in would have been nice.
ReplyDeleteI swear all travelers must have the same hell hole hotel experience at least once in their lives.
ReplyDeleteThis was very funny. And the cookies almost made it worth the put down the clerk gave you.
I said almost.
Blessings. Visit me at www.barbwhitti.blogspot.com
Writing: the ups and downs