Mia made the coffee with love

Earlier this week, I facilitated two SPRING KICK-OFF Sessions for Gold Key/ PHR Hotels in Virginia Beach.  I usually am not overwhelmed by service excellence, but on this trip I was blown away.

Let me share a few examples.  After 35 years in the industry, I thought I had seen and heard all of the elements for great service.  We arrived into the ballroom for our set up and tech check, and were immediately greeted from across the room with a very cheerful “good morning.”  Mia was assigned to be our banquet contact for the event.  While I was tired from the prior day’s event, her enthusiasm sparked more energy in me.  She greeted us with a handshake and offered us coffee that was tempting as she shared “I made the coffee with love.” 

Sold!

To the best of my knowledge, no one had ever given me coffee that was made with love.  (Where was it sourced, was it caffeinated, why was it so special?)

Of course, this was simply her way of sharing that she took her time and put passion into everything she did in order to make others feel comfortable, safe, and special.

“Mia made the coffee with LOVE” will now be shared with hundreds of thousands of people.  It is a story.  It so well represents the care and passion that can’t be described by an AI-generated paragraph.  It did not cost anything extra, but the value is timeless.

We learned more about her and why she does what she does. 

Here are a few more lovely examples of “Observe, Anticipate, and Overdeliver”.  Any organization can utilize the same approach for their customers, associates, and stakeholders.  Any family can adopt the same practice with each other and friends. 

• Nick delivered homemade dog treats for Jackson that his friend April made from leftover distillery ingredients.
• I received blank stationary with a postage complete envelope to make it easier to send my mom a “Happy Mother’s Day” letter
• The valet parker Devante said, “We will take very good care of your car” and they took 10 pictures to ensure it would be returned in the same perfect condition.
• Josette waited after the session for 15 minutes as she insisted on having me sign a copy of my book that she won.
• Desi and his culinary team said “The most important position in the kitchen is the dishwasher and not the chef.  Without a clean dish to put food upon, there is nothing to serve.”
• Diamond the AV tech folded my cord so neatly after the presentation, that it looked like a piece of artwork.  He anticipated my every need.
• Shayanne served one of the finest meals I ever experienced, but what was more memorable was the care and enthusiasm she had toward service excellence.  If she didn’t know the ingredient answer, she pulled out her index card notes for the details.
• Mariah was engaged, took notes, and celebrated her learnings on social media with others.
• Daniel refilled my soda and put it in a to-go cup without asking.
• The coffee shop wrote handwritten unique sayings on each of their to-go lids.
• Rayon in housekeeping wanted to know how does he engage his team every single day despite being very busy.
• Rob gave me a “life-saver” mid-presentation to show his appreciation for me, while he didn’t have a gratitude stone to share like the ones I was giving.

And it went on and on.  Thank you to the leadership team at corporate and on property for finding such talented people and enabling them to provide these types of service excellence.  A race car driver can’t change four tires on their own.