I’ve traveled a lot over the years, and have experienced some customer service highs and lows. Sometimes there are individuals who have such a positive outlook on life that they can’t help but put a smile on your face, and in this post I wanted to recognize one of those people.
In this post:
The Capital One Lounge DFW has amazing service
Several weeks back I reviewed the new Capital One Lounge DFW, which is fantastic, plain and simple. It has some unique amenities, ranging from grab & go food, to cold brew on tap, to Peloton bikes, to nap pods.
One other thing that delighted me about the lounge was how friendly all the staff were. Not only have I heard similar reports from OMAAT readers, but I’ve also experienced it on subsequent visits. Everyone in that lounge genuinely seems like they enjoy their jobs and want to make customers happy.
Frankly I don’t know how they were able to hire such great people, especially in this challenging labor market. It’s rare that employees at US airport lounges create a memorable guest experience, but at this lounge they do. Do they just pay people more? Do they hire for personality? Do they just have an awesome boss and a fun working environment? Is it just enthusiasm because the lounge is new? A little bit of everything? Whatever the reason, I’m impressed…
Rumana is my favorite thing about the Capital One Lounge DFW
When I first reviewed the Capital One Lounge back in November, I mentioned the following:
I was only in the lounge for 20 minutes or so, and when one of the servers saw my enthusiasm for the lounge, she proactively gave me a tour, and was obviously proud of all the amenities. She also recommended the pancakes, and asked if she could make some fresh for me.
I remembered how lovely that woman was, and today Ford and I returned to the Capital One Lounge DFW around a similar time, and she remembered us. We had a very long layover (I didn’t want to plan a tight connection given airline operational issues right now), and we had the chance to interact more with her.
Her name is Rumana, and she’s such a lovely, kind soul. Not only is she incredibly professional, but she also has a contagiously positive outlook on life and loves people:
- Rumana was constantly roaming the lounge with enthusiasm, anticipating what guests may want, and offering to serve people
- She told us about how much she loves coming to work, and how she enjoys interacting with her guests; she said she works multiple jobs largely because she loves making people happy
- She kept trying to get us to enjoy more of what the lounge has to offer, insisting that we were her guests and that it was important to her that we had a nice time
- Rumana is originally from Eritrea, and it was so lovely to hear just a small part of her life journey
- We tried to tip Rumana because of how attentive she was, and she repeatedly insisted that wasn’t necessary, and that she takes care of people because it makes her happy
- She asked when we’d next pass through DFW, and made us promise that we’d come back to say hi, even if we just had five minutes
- We talked a bit about the Dallas area, and she told us that the next time we visit we have to let her know, and she’ll show us around
It’s hard to put into words what a special person Rumana is. If you pass through the Capital One Lounge DFW (she works the first shift), I hope you have the pleasure of interacting with Rumana, and experiencing it firsthand. And please tell her Ben and Ford said hi.
Lastly, before anyone suspects I was getting special blogger treatment, I’m positive she has no clue what I “do.” That being said, the lounge was quiet, which makes one-on-one interaction with staff a lot easier. The Capital One Lounge DFW continues to be spectacular, and I hope things never change.
In fairness, with more people signing up for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees), chances are that the lounge will get progressively busier over time. I don’t imagine it’ll be to the level of Amex Centurion Lounges anytime soon, though.
Bottom line
There are a lot of amazing people out there who get joy out of making other people smile. Those people often aren’t recognized enough, so I love to give a shout out to people when I see this in the travel space. While the Capital One Lounge DFW has top notch service in general, Rumana’s kindness and warmth was the highlight of my day, and as far as I’m concerned is the best thing about this lounge (and there’s a lot of competition for that title).
If you have the chance to pass through the Capital One Lounge DFW, be on the lookout for Rumana.
I agree Rumana is a beautiful soul, and our Capitol One Lounge experience was outstanding!
I had a very poor impression when I visited 11/5/23. About 2/3rds of the food listed was not there, the uncomfortable seats and tables were old and rickety, plug-ins were in short supply, the person who showed us the pods did not explain how they worked, she just left. The bartender told us that alcohol wasn't dispensed until 10 a.m., something that I didn't see on their webpage. I did not see Rumana, though I...
I had a very poor impression when I visited 11/5/23. About 2/3rds of the food listed was not there, the uncomfortable seats and tables were old and rickety, plug-ins were in short supply, the person who showed us the pods did not explain how they worked, she just left. The bartender told us that alcohol wasn't dispensed until 10 a.m., something that I didn't see on their webpage. I did not see Rumana, though I looked for her, most staff were in their own little worlds. I made the mistake of trying the overnight oats and parfait and immediately felt sick and headed for the bank of four single-user restrooms. As before, when I first arrived, there was a line of four deep, and just before leaving the lounge for my next flight, just in case of a relapse, again four people waiting. This time, though, was the most challenging, as I was trying not to upchuck. Fortunately, I kept everything in until entering, then it was diarrhea and vomiting over and over. I felt sick the rest of my time there, on the way to my next flight, and on that entire flight of 3 hours, again trying to keep everything down. In summary, what was served was grossly misrepresented, service was nothing like Rumana, restrooms were insufficient in number (get there early), and this experience was a vast waste of time and money.
I have been to the lounge on multiple occasions and Rumana has been there every time to greet me with her positive, enthusiastic self. I love the lounge, the food, the facilities, but Rumana is what makes my travel day enjoyable :)
I've met Rumana and I confirm, not one word of exaggeration about her. I am Jewish and I eat only kosher and she is so concerned and so disappointed that she is unable to really offer me much in the lounge but her smile and her goodness is infectious.
She recognizes me every time I come in.
I've had great experiences with all the staff, but she is tops.
Met Rumana for the first time 2 weeks ago and she was the brightest part of my visit to the Cap Lounge. I stopped back in today and we picked up right where we left off. I was honestly surprised she remembered me, but that makes the visit even better.
Rumana was very pleasant and helpful. Very attentive.
Rumana was incredible person to meet. Definitely agree with all the sentiments on this post. Hope to see her again next time I'm at the DFW lounge.
I have no idea how I missed this article till just now. The reason I found it is because Rumana, the superstar, happened to mention Ben. I absolutely second Lucky's thoughts on Rumana. I was here the first week the lounge opened and I met her that day. She is phenomenal. She's remembered me everytime since (which has been a lot of times) and she makes sure I am treated well at her "home". She...
I have no idea how I missed this article till just now. The reason I found it is because Rumana, the superstar, happened to mention Ben. I absolutely second Lucky's thoughts on Rumana. I was here the first week the lounge opened and I met her that day. She is phenomenal. She's remembered me everytime since (which has been a lot of times) and she makes sure I am treated well at her "home". She genuinely wants to see her customers happy all the time. We have shared stories about our lives, experiences etc. She is indeed a lovely superstar.
Omg, Rumana the best lady in capital one Lounge . She’s just amazing and very welcoming. Please try to hire more people like her or let her train new hire how to take care for guests. Thank you Rumana
I will come back to see you ☺️
Rumana really is a rockstar! We’re on hour number 5 in the lounge now as I’m writing this and she has tended to every need. Glasses and bellies are kept full. Let us know when lunch was and what was going to be served. Not to mention her friendly and positive attitude. She’s so personal and just visiting with her is a blast! Will definitely be visiting the lounge and hoping to see her again!
Rumana was great! She was very attentive and helpful! She was cheerful and it just made my day. All around great person :)
I love Rumania; she’s such a nice person with a pretty smile that will brighten your day. This was my first time visiting Capital One lounge and what an experience especially talking to Rumania and receiving such outstanding service as well. Rumania is so special with a wonderful personality to match. Look forward to visiting again and will be looking for Rumania and her outgoing personality to make me laugh and feel special. The whole...
I love Rumania; she’s such a nice person with a pretty smile that will brighten your day. This was my first time visiting Capital One lounge and what an experience especially talking to Rumania and receiving such outstanding service as well. Rumania is so special with a wonderful personality to match. Look forward to visiting again and will be looking for Rumania and her outgoing personality to make me laugh and feel special. The whole experience was outstanding! Rumania and Capital One you rock!
We love Rumana. We have been in this lounge multiple times over the last few months and she is definitely a rockstar. We go through DFW a lot and depart from it as well, so we have had plenty of time to watch how warm and attentive she is with everyone.
What an amazing experience at the cap one lounge rumona was amazing !
Ben - you nailed it.
I'm in the lounge now as I write this on my way back from Queretaro and San Miguel. And I’ve pretty much been here nearly every week this year since it opened. And I can confirm that Rumana is absolutely one of those special people in this world that can't help but leave a positive mark on all that have the privilege to know her.
And I completely...
Ben - you nailed it.
I'm in the lounge now as I write this on my way back from Queretaro and San Miguel. And I’ve pretty much been here nearly every week this year since it opened. And I can confirm that Rumana is absolutely one of those special people in this world that can't help but leave a positive mark on all that have the privilege to know her.
And I completely agree with you about the new Capital One lounge at DFW. I have enjoyed it so much that I am seriously considering not renewing my Admirals club membership for the first time in well over a decade.
The world needs more Rumanas!
Rumana' service is uplifting to the wearing and the the needy, she guides, provides good services and makes coming to the lounge inviting and refreshing. She does her job graciously. Her services are life giving. Thank you Rumana.
I was there from about 5:30 to 8:30 on a Friday night. Loved it! The nap pods were really interesting. Great service!. The bartender made good cocktails and the food was good! What more could you ask for? As the 9pm closing came near, I noticed the ocean mood music playing on the sound system. Good lighting. I'm going back through DFW on Sunday. Looking forward to my second visit.
Maybe the company that staffs the place answers the phone. It's incredibly frustrating trying to find a part time low paying job (I'm retired, just need some extra income) and being told to "use the website" which is nothing but bots that always end up in a loop. Then, since they have my email, I get hundreds of unrelated spam.
No wonder they can't find anybody!
Go back to empowering the staff at the storefront to hire people on the spot!
That lounge is nice, with good food, and a great view, but is much smaller than it appears in Ben’s wide angle snaps. Should it reach centurion level popularity it may not be worth the trip over to the D gates.
When the Centurion lounges first opened there service was over the top good like this. Eventually the lounge will make cuts, it will get overcrowded and employees will grow tired of it especially when they are now doing multiple jobs with no increase in pay. You see this with every lounge that opens, its always amazing then it slowly gets worse. For example the Denver centurion is night and day better than the rest of...
When the Centurion lounges first opened there service was over the top good like this. Eventually the lounge will make cuts, it will get overcrowded and employees will grow tired of it especially when they are now doing multiple jobs with no increase in pay. You see this with every lounge that opens, its always amazing then it slowly gets worse. For example the Denver centurion is night and day better than the rest of the network as its newer but even the service there is worse than it was a year ago closer to the opening.
Geez nay say much!
The older I get the sadder I feel for some people aging with me. They've lost how to enjoy life. Go into everything with the assumption it will go to he LL will surely eat you up from the inside out until they bury you.
Sometimes life is easier if you just go in looking for the bright spot especially when talking about traveling likely for a vacation. Just ignore the little cruddy negative unless it truly impacts your life.
I only visited the lounge once before Christmas. I don't remember her name but I remember how great she was. She constantly roams around to clean up plates and asks people if anything else they need. Also you can tell how proud she was of her job because she introduces every amenity and food option so clearly to us. We were with our toddler son and of course he made a mess when eating breakfast....
I only visited the lounge once before Christmas. I don't remember her name but I remember how great she was. She constantly roams around to clean up plates and asks people if anything else they need. Also you can tell how proud she was of her job because she introduces every amenity and food option so clearly to us. We were with our toddler son and of course he made a mess when eating breakfast. She constantly came over to check if he needed anything and also brought over a small gift for him. I am glad that you wrote this about her. She deserves a high 5 from every guest.
Hey Ben, check out Lufthansa’s new premium economy seats for their 747-8 fleet
Thank you for acknowledging the backbones of capital one like Rumana! She exemplifies the values and mission of Capital one and is a model to the rest of their staff. My husband and I travel a lot and we became so anticipatory to leave home early so we can enjoy the lounge before boarding . Capital one lounge in Dallas is unique and has listened to comments.I love their grab and go stuff , nap...
Thank you for acknowledging the backbones of capital one like Rumana! She exemplifies the values and mission of Capital one and is a model to the rest of their staff. My husband and I travel a lot and we became so anticipatory to leave home early so we can enjoy the lounge before boarding . Capital one lounge in Dallas is unique and has listened to comments.I love their grab and go stuff , nap pod, menu is much better !
Rumana doesn’t miss serving us when we are there ! Very grateful for her graciousness and Capital One’s values !!
Once a great blog, thin times evidently have arrived for OMAAT
Yeah this would have been a great blog if we didnt know how much Capital One has been advertising on the site. The blitz of venture x posts were something i never thought i would see on the blog back in the day. The amount of paid content here makes the new blog unrecognizable.
I dont blame Ben one bit, he is the best in the biz period and its a shame to see other...
Yeah this would have been a great blog if we didnt know how much Capital One has been advertising on the site. The blitz of venture x posts were something i never thought i would see on the blog back in the day. The amount of paid content here makes the new blog unrecognizable.
I dont blame Ben one bit, he is the best in the biz period and its a shame to see other bloggers making more money with 1/10th the talent or work ethic that Lucky has because they focus on ads first and unbiased content last. Business is business i never fault anyone doing what's best for their family. I just cant read these and think there's not something promotional or paid behind the scene anymore.
Love these types of articles!
Love these types of articles!
We were there twice last week and also had great experiences with the staff (and overall), though I suspect it's in part due to how uncrowded it is. On our second visit we left to drop by the Centurion briefly and regretted it. The place was packed. The bartender was clearly tired and could have cared less about making the cocktail I ordered well. Staff seemed to be struggling to keep up.
The contrast between the two, back to back, cannot be overstated that evening.
Pro tip: Get there right when they open if not a single minute or two before.
I got a tour and rundown of the lounge. Smokes the centurion lounges.
Some of the staff are employees of Plaza Premium Group. Did you bother to ask her who she works for? Or who you could contact to recognize her outstanding service?
She was very generous to you. What generosity did you show or offer to her?
Omg did you read the article? He said they tried to tip numerous times. Why are all the responders so crabby. Geez.
Reading is hard for people these days. The cell phone generation have learned to read two sentences per paragraph with 4 sentences max.
I can't tell you how many times people email me with a question, I answer it in 3 sentences and they reply with the same question. What?!?
Let’s see how she does in her second week.
You obviously didn't read the article. She has worked there for more than a week.
I love how good the lounge smells...!
This lounge is very meh, but Ben is doing his job getting ppl excited about it to sign up for the credit card. How do you think he makes money after all? Bloggers push the same things but it all comes down to Cc signs up.
I respect Ben and love the blog but this longe is more “the club” than a centurion lounge.
Have to differ with you Ben but my husband and I were in the DFW lounge early morning on Dec 11. The food was terrible and the service dismal. They were very efficient at clearing away plates with mostly uneaten inedible food. The food selection at least for breakfast is sparse and while the displays look nice they do nothing to keep food hot so everything is cold.
The service was particularly bad. When...
Have to differ with you Ben but my husband and I were in the DFW lounge early morning on Dec 11. The food was terrible and the service dismal. They were very efficient at clearing away plates with mostly uneaten inedible food. The food selection at least for breakfast is sparse and while the displays look nice they do nothing to keep food hot so everything is cold.
The service was particularly bad. When we checked in we asked the receptionist if she could call wheelchair service prior to our flight. She was friendly and sounded accommodating. Then she disappeared. It was a good thing I did not depend on her to do what she said. I checked back with reception later and she was no where to be found. A supervisor then came over and told us we were basically on our own. She claimed when they call no one listens to them and she could not get anyone to come. This is pretty poor service but what makes it worse is the receptionist told us she would do it and left us waiting until no one arrived and it was close to departure time.
Again, maybe we hit a wrong time. It was early in the am on a Saturday but the lounge was empty and it’s not like they were busy serving other customers.
I wasn't blown away by this lounge. Food was ok.
They don't seem to do a great job of cleaning, and there were little fruit flies around, crumbs between seat cushions etc.
My main gripe was regarding the seats. There are only about 5/6 of the red lounge chairs that face the windows. I noticed someone had left and an attendant had "cleaned" it so I decided to move and sit there. FWIW it...
I wasn't blown away by this lounge. Food was ok.
They don't seem to do a great job of cleaning, and there were little fruit flies around, crumbs between seat cushions etc.
My main gripe was regarding the seats. There are only about 5/6 of the red lounge chairs that face the windows. I noticed someone had left and an attendant had "cleaned" it so I decided to move and sit there. FWIW it still looked pretty dirty with crumbs everywhere on the floor, chairs, table etc) That's when the attendant shouts from about 10ft away, "Sir I actually cleaned that table for another couple." Said couple showed up a few minutes later. I wasn't aware there was any sort of reservation system for those seats. Is there a card higher than the Venture X (like a centurion) that gives special reserved seats within this lounge? It's not like the attendant knew the other guy was leaving at a certain time, as when he was getting up the attendant asked "Are you heading out sir?" Something about that whole situation just rubbed me the wrong way.
Had another 3hrs until my delayed flight, but I decided to just head over to the centurion lounge. Even though it was more crowded, felt more welcome and the little cubby seats are much more comfortable than the majority of the capital one lounge seats.
I'll give this lounge another try next month, but I still prefer the centurion.
I'd love to meet here. I've given up on Centurion lounges. There's nothing pleasant about them unless your sole objective is to get wasted. I've been at DFW for the last 3 hours and I chose the AC over the Centurion. I even flew in to D!
Her. I'd love to meet her*.
All the corporate strategizing, budgeting, ad buys, staged events can't buy CapOne press like this. You actually have to hire good people and avoid screwing up their morale. Not as easy as it sounds. Kudos to CapOne for putting this person in front and keeping her happy, to Rumana for being the Real Deal (making this much of an impression on our guys) and to Ben for telling us about it.
Loved seeing this pop up in my twitter feed! We were just there last Friday and have been thinking about what a wonderful person Rumana is and how much she added to our visit. Great lounge and kudos to Rumana!