A series of unfortunate events had brought Doug into the hotel looking like something the cat had dragged in because the dog forgot to bury. First his flight and connections had delayed him for over three hours due to bad weather. To add insult to injury, the airline had not loaded his luggage at the originating airport and would not be in his possession until after 9:00 the next morning. Because of his late arrival, the car rental agency had cancelled his reservation as a “no-show” and he had to wait an extra 45 minutes for them to get a car ready for him to use.
It was after 1:00am when Doug came into the hotel lobby and approached the check-in desk.
“The way things are going, I’m wondering if you still have my reservation!” Doug said.
The desk agent, Luke, replied that he still was registered and that they were awaiting his arrival. As Luke processed the registration, Doug gave a quick recap of the evening’s events, including that he had to be up and running in less than 6 hours.
Luke paused for a moment, typed a few pieces of information into the computer, then presented Doug with the room key.
With a smile on his face, Luke said, “It sounds like you have had a rough evening, Mr. Scott. Let me put you up in the best room in the hotel tonight. I’m sure it will be a great rest for you, as short as it may be.”
And with that, Doug went into the Executive suite for a very restful night.
Sometimes exceeding a customer’s expectations can be very simple – Listen, Empathize, Act.
Just those three steps keep customers coming back for more.
