It’s been great to be on vacation in sunny South Florida, as a matter of fact I’m typing this from my 21st. floor balcony of The W Hotel over-looking the beach. This balcony has been such a great place for writing, thinking, meditation and tranquility each and every morning. I can smell the ocean, watch the waves roll up to the shore and watch the morning joggers. I’ve even learned to appreciate the sounds of the cars passing by and occasional background noise of construction work.
The attribute that has impressed me the most about our stay at The W Hotel is their over the top customer service. My wife and I have stayed at The W Hotel before in New York City; however we don’t remember our experience being quite like this.
From the time we arrived everyone from the bellman, housekeeping, concierge, to the front desk clerk have been exceptional. You almost feel compelled to tip everyone for anything. The W Hotel has this “Whatever, Whenever… What Is Your Wish” theme. When you call the operator they answer the phone by saying, “Whatever, Whenever Mr. Williams, what is your wish?” Seriously, I think one time she even said, “Good Morning Mr. Williams, how can I make your wish come true?”
Don’t get me wrong this place costs a pretty penny per night and we have even ran across Miami Heat Superstar Dwayne Wayne and acclaimed Hip-Hop & R&B producer Scott Storch getting their Ferrari’s valet parked. Not to mention the night of Lebron James’ “Big Decision,” he had 25 rooms reserved at The W Hotel right here South Florida. The W Hotel has everything from the overall ambiance, look, spa level toiletry products, chic feel and most importantly the customer service. My son’s who are seven and eleven years old said, “Dad, this hotel is cool and everyone is really nice.”
To top it off, I called to get a wake-up call and the lady asked me which type of wake-up call I would like, “Excuse Me!” She responded, “Would you like a motivational, inspirational, traditional or a breakfast in bed?” Me, “Do, they cost extra?” She responded, “No, sir Mr. Williams.” Me, “Okay, then give me the inspirational.”
The next morning my wake-up call was as follows, “Good Morning Mr. Williams your inspirational wake-up call is ‘A man with confidence instills confidence in others.’” She followed up with a, “Do you have another wish Mr. Wiliams?” Me, “Give me three more wishes… Seriously can you follow up with another one of these calls in about 15 minutes?”
The bottom line is that The W Hotel is not doing anything that any other hotel establishment can’t do. A critical component for The W Hotel is the fact that the they truly value customer service and training. It’s not merely a lip service that every service industry claims to value. The W Hotel Values + Execution of Those Values = Satisfied Customers. Satisfied Customers + Returning Satisfied Customers = Hotel Success. This applies to all industry, if you don’t believe me look at Chick-fil-a and their “My Pleasure” value system.
How much more successful would restaurants, churches, businesses and any other service industry be if they truly embraced a “Whatever, Whenever, What is Your Wish Philosophy?”
Share your thoughts and experiences with brands that do an excellent job with customer service.
One of the many cool thing about working with my team is the spirited debates that we have on a regular basis. The subject matter of these debates covers a wide range of topics including: theology, politics, leadership, ministry philosophy, parenting… to things like: “Should Men Open Car Doors For Women?” Today’s debate was dealing with exactly that question: “Should Men Open Car Doors For Women?”
