The W Hotel in Times Square (New York, NY) is one of my favorite hotels. The customer service, ambiance, and energy are just a few of the reasons I love this hotel. On my most recent stay they did something worth mentioning. Within a few minutes of checking in I received an email from Raina-Rose Fernandes, the Director of Whatever/Whenever. By the way, those are the type of very cool titles employees get at W Hotel. In her short email she welcomed me and made the following offer:
“Want the Inside Scoop? Ask me how we can make your wishes come true with our Whatever/Whenever Service. Whether you need an extra toothbrush or assistance with booking a helicopter ride around Manhattan, I am happy to act as a personal liaison between yourself and the hotel. I want your W Experience to be a memorable one as you spend time with us at your home-away-from-home. Anything you need, just ask. Please do not hesitate to tell me how your stay is going.”
Here are some of my observations:
The first thought that comes to mind is that the W managed an extra touch point with me just minutes after checking in to the hotel. Nice follow up.
The second thought is the argument: high tech versus high touch. I’ve been in hotels and received a call from the front desk, a few minutes after checking into the hotel, to make sure everything is okay with the room. This kind of follow up, similar to the email the W sent me, is a great touch point. The question is, is a phone call or an email better? Normally I would say that the phone call is stronger and more personal. However, the W can get away with it, because of their forward thinking and progressive theme. In addition, the message was different enough to overcome the lack of the human touch of a phone call. Look at the words they use. Look at Raina-Rose’s title again, Director of Whatever/Whenever. The W is hip and cool. Email works for them. High tech, used the right way, works.
Another thought is that the email is more than an offer to take care of me. Read the words again. This is an extension of the brand promise that makes the W Hotel a great hotel.
So, what’s your offer and how do you deliver it? Don’t worry about using fancy words and phrases. The requirement is they simply are the right words, said the right way. Do the
words match your theme? Do they match your culture? Are they delivered in a way that is consistent with your culture (in person, emailed, phone call, hand-written note, etc?) Do they work for you and your customer?
(Copyright ©2012, Shep Hyken)
