If you order the wrong pair of shoes online, you can send them back. If you miss your flight, you can catch the next one. But, if you have a bad vacation, you can never get that time back.
Having worked in tourism and hospitality my whole life, there is a responsibility to get the vacation right the first time. We can’t refund time.
A couple of years ago, the Travel Channel aired a show called, “Great Hotels.” The host Samantha Brown would show her audience what made the featured hotel great.
I worked at one of the hotels presented on that show, and the responsibility of living up to the show’s expectation was an awesome one.
It made every day on the job interesting, challenging and unique.
One afternoon as guests were checking in, I struck up a conversation with a lady who said she and her husband were so excited to stay at the hotel featured on the Samantha Brown show.
As I delved further, she revealed the pair had worked overtime for a solid five years to pay for their trip to Savannah.
Talk about expectations. This couple had spent nearly 2,000 days planning and saving for the three days they were going to be in Savannah.
My team used it as an opportunity to create the perfect vacation. The front desk upgraded their room reservation. Housekeeping provided an extra-special turndown service. Each staff member went out of their way to be especially kind.
The concierge used his contacts to get free limousine rides to provide the transportation needs listed on their itineraries. We all had fun thinking of creative ways we could make this couple feel special and worth all of their hard work.
This is a story echoed by some of our city’s guests. While most don’t save for five years, everyone is making a conscious decision to spend their time and money in our great city.
The responsibility is shared across our entire community, and I think it’s an opportunity for us all to work together, even though not all of our guests are as easy to love as the grateful couple who had been dreaming about our city for years.
From the community at large, we have to live out the mantra “Hostess City of the South.” That means we need to be kind to those visiting, thankful they’re here and helpful when they can’t find “Abercrombie Street.”
From the tourism workers, we must practice the Savannah brand of hospitality day after day, rising to the occasion to provide impeccable service.
If we have workers who aren’t living out the Savannah brand of customer service, then train them. You can reward those who do have exceptional service with kind words and incentives.
If we all work together and get the way we approach the guest right the first time, then it doesn’t matter that they can’t get their time back. We will have given them a taste of what it’s like to be from Savannah.
Michael Owens is president/CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council. Contact Owens at michael@tourismleadershipcouncil.com or by calling 912-232-1223.