As an economically conscious business traveler who rarely stays at five star hotel properties, when it does happen, it’s quite memorable. Superior hospitality isn’t just about the first impression upon entering a hotel lobby or a fancy room. It goes far beyond that and manifests throughout your entire stay.
This past weekend I arrived in Mumbai, India, after a bleary-eyed 15-hour direct flight. Feeling exhausted from the journey (and all the procedures to exit the airport), it was great to see our drivers from the hotel and their immaculately shiny and roomy black SUV’s. This service was provided free of charge to our team of seven given our frequent visits to India and our long three-week stay.
After the hour-long ride, we arrived at the hotel and were warmly greeted at the door with a necklace of fresh flowers (like a Hawaiian lei). The check-in staff had already taken care of the paperwork for us and as we sat comfortably in the lobby, we quickly had room keys in our hands. How fabulous!
Next, upon entering our room, there were rose petals artfully strewn on our bathroom vanity. Next to them, there were dishes containing sandalwood powder and rose infused water, along with directions on how to make a moisturizing mask for your face and body. Needless to say, I dived right in and felt refreshed.
In the days following, the little surprises kept coming. After returning from work, I noticed that the housekeeping staff had painstakingly cleaned my two hairbrushes (they needed lots of work), and also had taken my hand-washed clothing and hung each piece up on hangers. Their attention to detail and care for the guests was so apparent. After 15 years of travel, I’d never quite seen such service.
As this is only day three of my visit, I can only imagine what’s in store next. I hear that the sales director is taking my colleagues and I to dinner tomorrow night in the hotel, and we are being upgraded to better guest rooms for the remainder of the stay. As I said, superior service should seamlessly reveal itself the entire stay and keep you as a guest smiling throughout.
Yes, it is true that my company frequently uses this hotel for our numerous business trips to India. However, there are other cities and hotels in the world that we use all the time, but never receive such recognition, appreciation, and quality of service. I applaud the efforts of everyone here at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, and I look forward to two and a half more weeks together!
As always, I wish you all the happiest of travels.
