I’ve stayed at plenty of luxury hotels that have been underwhelming, and at the same time stayed at many three star hotels that exceeded my expectations. In my opinion the key to “wowing” someone in the hospitality industry is to not only anticipate the basic needs of guests, but also to anticipate their expectations and then exceed them. Those are the stays that end up being most memorable.
I’ve stayed at plenty of five star hotels where my expectations were met and I had a fantastic stay… but they weren’t memorable. At the same time I’ve stayed at some Holiday Inns that were under $100 per night yet I’ll never forget due to the staff going above and beyond.
Yesterday I checked into the Park Hyatt Tokyo, one of those hotels I’ve always wanted to visit, ever since first watching the movie “Lost in Translation.”
The hotel is stunning and service is amazing… but I totally expected that. Here’s what “wowed” me, and what makes this hotel immediately memorable.
I had emailed the hotel a couple of days ago after making my reservation and told them I would be landing at Narita Aiport at 8:35AM, so expected to be at the hotel at around 11AM, and requested early check-in. They said they would do everything in their power to be sure my room is ready.
When I showed up at the hotel not only was my room ready, but when I was escorted to it I found a tray in my room with some danishes, museli, and freshly squeezed mango juice that was still cold. The employee simply said “we knew you had a long flight from Frankfurt, so figured you might enjoy a light breakfast.”
It’s worth noting that this was in addition to the regular Diamond amenity I was given.
Seriously, it’s so minor, but at the same time it forever sold me on this hotel, and at this point there’s no way I can have a bad stay.
If only other hotels put two and two together like this place…
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