I have a friend who used to be a bartender in downtown New York at a well-known jazz club. One night, just as the music was ending, a well-dressed man sat down at the bar and ordered a beer and a roast beef sandwich. My friend, anxious to head home for the night, decided to tell a little white lie. He said, “The kitchen is closed.”
“I own the place,” said the man.
My friend was eternally grateful the guy didn’t fire him on the spot after he got that roast beef sandwich to the bar pronto. Over the years I’ve found this story amusing, but it came to mind in a bad way recently when we went to a high-end restaurant downtown. It was 9:30 p.m. and we were well aware that the place stopped serving food at 10:30. We sat at the bar, happy as could be, and ordered a few espresso martinis and hot appetizers. Boy, was that bartender pissed off. Every attempted bon vivant interaction from us was rebuffed, every question requiring more than a two-word answer? They were ignored. The worst part? The person I was with was a frequent patron of the restaurant and knows the owner well. He has vowed to never return, however.
Got me thinking. How often have you been in a luxury setting where a rift in the seamless service you were receiving ruined the entire experience? You remember that rudeness from someone who worked there that made your heart sink. It literally burst that lovely bubble you were in as you were enjoying a night out.
As luxury travel advisors, are you aware of what happens within all the touch points with your team? Is there perhaps a sullen colleague who doesn’t look up from their phone when a client is in their presence? How is your team answering their emails and texts? Are they tossing terse and incomplete responses back to someone who’s trying to plan their dream vacation?
Luxury suppliers, how’s this working for you? Is every member of your staff trained to be an empathetic problem solver, or do they toss customer issues off as if a giant water bug had just landed in their lap? That one person who mars your company’s luxury delivery aesthetic is the one who will be remembered for years. You can’t unsee bad service and you can’t unfeel it, either.
We recently visited Hotel Bennett in Charleston, SC. I want to know who runs that hotel and who trains their employees because every interaction was seamless, helpful and delightful from the second we pulled up to the valet and from the moment we drove away the next day. Everyone in the lobby was on their A game and they seemed genuinely happy to be there. You know when they wave at you as you’re leaving the hotel and express their sincere hopes you’ll come back soon? Darn right we’ll be back, and it’ll be soon. We’ve been planning our return ever since we left.
As you plan for 2026, ensure that delivering stellar customer service is at the top of your list. No excuses. Trends in luxury hospitality will continue to evolve but giving your clients a fabulous experience that makes them yearn to return will never go out of style.