Page 187 - The New Gold Standard

Wow: The Ultimate Guest Experience
because of the impact on the customers. A guest at The Ritz-
Carlton, St. Thomas, comments, “Our Ritz-Carlton trip actu-
ally started about one week before we left home. I received a call
from Kenya at the resort, as she wanted to confirm our travel
plans and ask if we were celebrating any special occasion. It was
our five-year wedding anniversary. She also asked if we had any
requests, like extra blankets. I did explain that I was pregnant
with our first child and I would love a few extra pillows to sup-
port my back. She gave me several options such as firm, feather,
down, and polyfill. I didn’t know there were so many! Kenya also
gave me the option of a full-sized body pillow. For those who
have never been pregnant, it is hard to describe how wonderful
body pillows are. Clearly, if I could’ve found any way to trans-
port mine from home, I would have. I was already impressed,
and I hadn’t left home yet.” Not only did Kenya confirm that
the body pillow was in the room at the time of their arrival but
she also extended the warmth of the guests’ welcome beyond
that telephone call.
The guest goes on to share, “On our first night, we returned
to our room to find chocolate-covered strawberries, an ice bucket
with a bottle of champagne, and a congratulatory note from the
hotel manager. Our bed had roses on it, and it was sprinkled
with rose petals. We thought, ‘What a nice touch.’ Then my
husband removed the bottle of ‘champagne’ from the ice, and it
turned out to be sparkling cider. Obviously, they noted my preg-
nancy and made adjustments to their anniversary gift for us. We
were very impressed with that attention to detail.”
Taking the time to make a strong first impression, genuinely
inquiring about a guest’s needs, delivering on those needs, and
mastering subtle details, all play a role in differentiating between
acceptable and memorable service. From the outset, these ac-
tions stand out to guests by communicating that they are appre-
ciated and valued.
Given that people are accustomed to not being acknowl-
edged and not having their names used during service, situations

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