“It’s Not Your Problem!”

Travel mess-ups happen. If you’ve been on the road for some time, you accumulate enough stories to play one-up-on you  with fellow road warriors. My wackiest experience was when I and a customer were in Suriname (Dutch Guyana) and had to get back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for some important business. Unfortunately the local airline “decided” (no reasons were ever given, apparently) they were not going to fly to Rio for an undetermined number of days. We had to get to Rio, really had to get there, and the prospect of an extended stay was not a very pleasant option to pursue. My customer’s travel team got us to Rio, creatively, but painfully. We got there by way of Amsterdam and Paris. Yep, we went around the city to cross the street.  It was a bizarre experience, but it has given me the winning zinger story when comparing travel tales.

But the across the ocean to get over the rainforest is not my favorite travel story. That one took place in Scotland. When I was doing work in the UK, in the mid 1990’s, weekends were a wonderful opportunity for short trips to new destinations. Travel and hotel deals were incredibly affordable, particularly when they included some of the top hotels in the promotional rates. One such weekend, the destination was Edinburgh, a jewel of a city in Scotland, replete with sights and single malts. The flight to Edinburgh was short and uneventful. After retreiving my checked bag,  I took a cab to the Caledonian Hotel, or the Cally, on Princess Street in the heart of the city. The Caledonian is wonderful. It breathes and feels traditional and is a keeper for me. It has lots of outer and inner architecture and elegance and lots more to boot, service, really great service.

The check-in process was smooth and, upon reaching my room, began to unpack. That is when the “all is going so well” changes to “oh crap” in a flash. I did not recognize any of the stuff packed in my bag, particularly since I was not anything close to a cross-dresser. Mind you, my bag was pretty unusual. I had not ever seen another like it. So, with the bag zipped up, I took the lift down to the lobby and crossed it ready to hail a cab and return to the airport. Halfway across the lobby, a staff member spotted me and very nimbly approached and asked if there was anything amiss. I explained my calamity and before I could ask for help with cab, she smiled and said,”Sir, you are at the Caledonian. That is not your problem anymore, it is ours now.” She then gently took my bag and continued with, “It is a beautiful day outside and a great time for a walk around the city centre. I’ll have a shaving kit sent up to your room for you to freshen up. When you get back from your walk, we should have this sorted out.”

Wow, I really love surprises like that one. It is among my top three customer service stories to share. I felt like a guest, the most important guest, one who should feel like little things should not interfere with my stay because “you’re at the Caledonian.” I’ve had very good travel calamity recovery experiences over the years. I’ve had upgrades, baskets of goodies, free meals, all done as a means to overcome a shortcoming on the part of the venue, and most done smoothly. I attribute all that great recovery effort to sound management and well executed training, empowerment and great people at the facilities. Nothing for me has topped the sheer agility and proactive hospitality I witnessed at the Cally.

I have reflected over the years what it was that was so memorably remarkable. I’ve concluded that it was that the staff at the Caledonian approached any customer problem as an opportunity for a truly positive guest experience. My problem was not one with the room size of comfort, faulty faucets, missing towels or any other execution shortcoming by the hotel staff. My problem, becoming their problem, was that my customer experience was going to be less than what it could be at their place. The folks at the Cally took to heart the importance of the total customer experience, long before consultants were selling the concept.

I’ve heard the phrase used in films, “Your enemies are my enemies.” I will suggest that the better phrase for all of us who serve customers should be, “Your problem is not your problem anymore, it’s ours.”

So, … “what’s your problem?”