The people of Houston really know how to treat their guests! Recently, I was the closing keynote speaker for the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
The night before, I had stayed in the Royal Sonesta Hotel about two blocks away from the conference hotel since that hotel was full from another convention.
The next morning I needed to be at the conference hotel at 11:00 to check out the equipment and do a sound check before my keynote at 3:00. I had had a late night and needed to do some work in the morning, so by the time I was ready to leave, I realized I would not have any time for breakfast, and I needed the energy to be at my best for my client.
When I got down to the hotel lobby, I quickly found the restaurant and hurriedly asked the waitress there if they had a banana, explaining my rushed and rather desperate situation. (I figured a banana would hold me until lunch!) She ran to the buffet, grabbed a banana, and brought it back to me. When I asked her how much I owed, she simply smiled and said, “You just have a wonderful day.” How long has it been since any restaurant EVER gave you something for nothing? I was touched. ( A huge thank you to the service at the Royal Sonesta Hotel!)
Again, I hurried out to the lobby to walk the two blocks to the conference hotel, lugging my big computer bag, a bag of “show and tell” things for my presentation, and my huge purse. When I got outside, the wind was blowing so badly that I panicked. I rushed back inside to see if I could possibly get their shuttle to drive me over to the hotel. You see, they were videotaping me that day, and the walk over would have completely ruined my hair! 😉
I ran to the front desk, literally begging for the shuttle as I explained my predicament, but the person on duty said he was sorry, but it had gone to the airport and would not be back for 30 minutes. Dejected, I began to leave to make the dreaded walk over when a limo driver who had been waiting in the lobby and who had overheard my pleas, came up, smiled, and said, “Ma’am, I would be glad to drive you over.” My hero!
He loaded all my stuff in the trunk, gave me a bottle of water, and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll get you there on time.” Because these hotels were on a one way street, he had to drive several blocks over and down and then make a U-turn to get back on the right side of the street, so it was no easy task.
When we arrived at the conference hotel, he let me out of the car and unloaded all my “stuff” as I thanked him profusely and held out my credit card. He just smiled, shook his head, and said, “This is my gift to you. You just bring all those ladies a message of hope and have a wonderful day.” And of course, I gave him a big hug right there in the driveway! (Just for the record, his name is Osman Omar of VIP’s Transportation. If you ever need a ride in Houston, you can call my hero at 206-724-8067.)
After these precious experiences and then the amazing women I met at the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce conference, I can hardly wait to come back to Houston!
To read more wonderful customer service stories, check out Barbara’s books at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.
