Most people, including myself have heard the saying “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar” and while I am not sure the saying is correct when actually dealing with flies, the point is easily understood – a sweet disposition and positive attitude will get you farther than a sour disposition or negative attitude. I have found this to be 100% true.
On my recent trip to Miami I found myself in a good mood (I think it was the sun) and I was smiling a lot. I said “hi” to people first, I ask people how their day was going, I held doors for people, I made an extra effort to say “please” “thank you” and “you’re welcome.” I did not complain about things and I pretty much had a relaxed go with the flow attitude. This definitely played in my favor.
First, it started at SFO where I volunteered to take a later flight. I put on a big smile and told the lady at the desk I was interested in abandoning my seat but would like some information on the alternative flights. I asked about departure and arrival times and about a million other questions. When I was through I thanked her profusely for looking everything up for me and told her I would be happy to switch flights. When it came time to arrange my new flight, she made the extra effort to get me a good seat on the plane (the exact seat I had on my original flight – the most coveted window seat!)
When I got to the Hyatt Regency in Miami, the room I had requested (a King) was not available. I was kind of disappointed, but did not complain or throw a fit or anything else. I simply said ok, and asked what was available. The agent said there was only a room with 2 doubles or I could be upgraded to a suite. I did not want to pay extra for the suite, so I smiled and told her I would take the room with 2 doubles. She apologized for the inconvenience. I told her it was no big deal (I really did not need a King bed anyway … I barely move when I sleep!). She told me she wanted to give me something to apologize for the inconvenience and offered me a couple of drink vouchers. I declined the offer telling her I was not planning on drinking because I was a bit under the weather. She then insisted that I take a voucher for brunch at the hotel restaurant, which I gladly accepted.
I ate dinner at the hotel restaurant both nights I was in Miami, mostly because I was too tired to do anything else, and being a female alone, I did not feel all that safe venturing out into the city at night. Both nights I had exceptional service and both nights I ended up getting a dessert comped. The first night I spent over 2 hours in the restaurant. I ate slow, but that did not account for the entire time. After I finished my fajitas I decided to order dessert (a warm chocolate chip cookie with ice cream). It took absolutely forever for the dessert to come, but I did not complain … I really had nothing else to do, so I just sat in the restaurant working on some materials for an upcoming interview. When the dessert finally came I smiled at the waiter and thanked him for bringing it. He apologized profusely for it taking so long and refused to add it to my bill.
The next night, I ordered the paella with chicken and shrimp. As I mixed up the dish I noticed that a few of the shrimp were not properly cleaned. I picked out these pieces and set them aside. The waiter came by and asked if I did not like the shrimp and offered to have the chef make me something else. I told him that I loved the shrimp, but that the pieces I picked out were not cleaned all the way and I did not want to eat them. He immediately took them back to the kitchen. He came back to the table and offered me a glass of sangria or another drink, but I told him that was unnecessary. I ordered dessert again that night, and again the waiter took it off my bill. I tipped him very well (as I had done with the waiter the night before) and thanked him for the dessert.
The next morning, I found myself back at the restaurant to redeem the voucher I had been given for brunch. My waiter from the night before was on shift again. He made sure to seat me in his section at a table with a view. He gave me excellent service (my glass was not empty once) and he even made pleasant conversation with me about what to see and do in the city. Being pleasant the night before had paid dividends both that night and now the next morning.
When I was checking out of my hotel in Miami, I made the effort to thank the front desk agents for the service at the hotel. I complimented the restaurant and how they had handled my stay. He was glad to hear that I had a pleasant time and asked if there was anything else they could do for me. I told him I was going to be waiting around in the hotel for a bit and wondered if there was any way to get internet access. He immediately provided me with a code for free access. Then an hour or so later he walked up to me in the lobby and wanted to make sure that the code had worked and that I had everything I needed.
I understand that a hotel is supposed to be hospitable, and that some hotels are better than others, but I also believe that the customer’s disposition plays a huge part in how people act and react. Had I been rude about my flight being full or oversold or ungrateful for the amount of time the airline agent spent answering my questions I probably would not have gotten a good seat on the next flight. If I had thrown a fit about the room I likely would have gotten a bad room with no view and may not have received a voucher. If I complained about the wait for dessert, I likely would have paid for it and only received an apology. If I had sent back my food, it probably would have come back with spit in it and I doubt I would have received a comped dessert or such great service the following morning. If I had not thanked the hotel for their efforts I doubt they would have given me free internet access.
Sometimes it is very difficult to keep a cool head and a pleasant disposition, especially when things do not go as planned or the way you want, but if you can be nice about issues and try to stay positive, it will certainly pay off.
Staying positive and cheery in less than desirable situations takes gumption!
No comments:
Post a Comment