(Partially) Renewed Faith in Humanity

This story just happened and I'm amazed.  In fact, it's still happening because the guests haven't come back yet.  Let me explain...
Three guests arrived from New Zealand about twenty minutes ago after a long flight.  I checked on their reservation to confirm that we have them here, but it was too early to check in.  I started tagging their luggage to keep in storage for the day, when one of the guys yelled "OH BUGGER!"  We all looked at him, confused as to why he was yelling out.  He explained that he had another small satchel that he left in the taxi from the airport.

The guest frantically ran outside to see if the taxi was still here, but it was long gone.  They don't sit for very long on rainy days.  He came back in looking utterly baffled and broken.  He went on to explain that he had his passport, itinerary, and about $3,000 in cash in that bag and that he was part of a tour that was leaving in 2 days to go to Canada (not to mention, he also needed the passport to get home...).  "OH!  I also have my mobile phone in the bag!  Maybe we can try to call it?"  He got the number out of his wallet and proceeded to call the cell phone.  Unfortunately, there was no answer, which was good and bad.  Good because the phone was on and working.  Bad because no one found it yet.We proceeded to store the luggage and sent the guests on their way to explore Manhattan.  

A few seconds after leaving, the guest ran back in to hand me two $50 bills. "If the taxi driver or anyone comes in with my bag, please make sure to give this to them as a thank you."  They went off for some breakfast and I went back to my work.Just a moment ago, the taxi driver showed up.  HE ACTUALLY CAME TO RETURN IT!  I couldn't believe it.  We couldn't believe it.  I handed him the money from the guest and thanked him so much for returning the bag and he told me it was interesting.  He had two other passengers since our guest, and the first one didn't see it (or didn't say anything about it).  The second passenger started digging through the bag when the taxi driver noticed.  He took the bag away from the passenger because he remembered our guest with the bag.  He came right back here to return it.

He was also smart about the return.  He wouldn't just give me the bag because of how valuable the contents are, but he also didn't want to sit and wait for the guests to come back.  Finally, he took my business card, gave me his business card, and left the bag on condition that I have the guest call him when he gets the bag.  Medallion #4F54 driver, if you read this, you're a good man.  Thank you.

Now we're just waiting on the guest to come back so we can tell him the good news.

Have you had a story or situation like this?  Did you lose something in a taxi?  Were you able to recover it, or is it lost forever?  Share your story in the comments, and check back to see what happens with the guest!

UPDATED

Sorry, yesterday got busy and I didn't have time to update the post.  The guest came back in a few hours after the bag was dropped off.  He was elated to hear that we had it and he was on the verge of tears.  He was not expecting to get the bag returned to him and thought he would have to go to the consulate and get a new passport (not to mention, he would have been out a few thousand dollars).  He gave me $20 and a big hug, and went on his way to share the good news with his friends.

Crash!

It's been a rather quiet 10 months since my last post.  There have been some great guests, but no great stories to tell you.  Until recently.  Here is one of my favorite moments in New York.

I was behind the desk one morning checking a guest out of the hotel.  He was a foreign guest heading to the airport after a business trip to New York, looking forward to the weekend.  He asked me if I could help him flag down a taxi to take him to the airport, which I had no problem doing.  I grabbed his luggage and walked outside with him as a taxi came flying down out street.  I threw my hand out to get his attention.  The driver saw me as he was about to pass the hotel and slammed on the brakes, coming to a screeching stop two doors down. 

The next thing I know, I hear a loud crash.  I look up to where the taxi stopped and I see he came to a stop by rear-ending a police car.  The officer gets out of the driver's seat, massaging her neck, and goes to look at the damage.  What happens next is the crazy part.  The taxi driver gets out of his car and starts to yell at the police officer for "being in his way"!!

She doesn't seem to be fazed by the yelling.  While the taxi driver was going off on her, she just pulled out her ticket book to write him a ticket.  Once he saw this happening, he got even madder and yelled louder, saying it wasn't his fault and whatnot.  She wasn't having any of it.  She just ignored everything he was saying and wrote the ticket and slipped it under his windshield wiper.

As she turned to walk away, he completely lost it and spit on her.  I don't mean a playful 'thbbt' kind of spit.  I mean he hocked a loogey and let it loose.  It must have been a big one because she reacted instantly.  Within 5 seconds, she had him flipped on the hood of his taxi with his hands cuffed behind his back!  A few minutes later, backup was there along with a tow truck to impound the taxi.  It was awesome.  

Now, I know that women are treated differently in different countries.  Some respect women and their rights.  Some force them to hide their faces.  Some don't let them have rights.  It doesn't matter where you come from...once you come to America you forfeit the ability to treat women (and people) with anything other than respect.

New York City Nightlife

We get all types of creatures wandering into the hotel when working overnight. Someone just walked in who clearly had too much to drink tonight. I knew from the moment he walked in that it would be a fun conversation and I'd write about it. Here's how it went:

(Man walks in, stops in the middle of the lobby, purses his lips while looking around, and then walks over to the desk.)
Man: (while still looking around) This looks different. Did you change it tonight?
Me: The lobby looks different?
Man: Ya, it's different than when I left. Did you move the desk from the other wall?
Me: No sir, we haven't moved anything tonight. In fact, it's been like this for 8 years.
Man: No way! You're s***ting me!
Me: No, I wish I was though!
(He looks at me quizzically)
Man: Am I staying here?
Me: That's a good question. Are you? What's your name?
Man: I'm not sure. Do you have coffee and tea in the back?
Me: Yes. Just around the corner to the right.
Man: So I am staying here. Are you sure you didn't move things around?
Me: Ya, I'm positive.
Man: This must be wrong. I don't remember you. I'm going to find my place. Can you point me in the right direction?
Me: Do you know where you're staying?
Man: (Silence...)
Me: Are you staying in a hotel or an apartment?
Man: It's...um...crap. (Rubs eyes and face). I'm so confused!
Me: Do you know what street you're supposed to be on?
Man: Umm...up. There somewhere (pointing to the front door).
Me: Ok, so you're staying uptown. There's a start. Do you know the name of the place?
Man: No, but it looks like this. I'm going to walk uptown. Where is that?

I point him in the right direction and help him get his bearing straight. The poor guy proceeded to walk down a quarter of a block and fell twice before the next corner. As entertaining as that was, I hope he makes it back ok. Mainly because he'll be safe, but also so the night auditor at the hotel he's going to can enjoy his presence as well.

Moral of the story: If you're planning on getting piss drunk in New York City, don't get separated from your friends, and keep a hotel business card on you, so someone can direct you to where you need to go when you can't get there yourself.

Good Customer Service Pays Off

Guests in a hotel are very easy to please, despite what people may think.  Especially in New York.

Guests spend lots of money on hotel rooms and quite frankly, they deserve good service for the prices they pay. I'll be the first to say that some of the rates in New York are incredibly insane.  $300 for a room per night?  At a hotel that doesn't have a pool, spa, lounge or restaurant?  It's outrageous, and I'm kind of surprised that people are so willing to pay that much.  I guess they have the "well, it is New York..." attitude, so they are accepting the fact that they will need to spend more money.

Back to my original point though.

Guests are very easy to please.  They come in to check in and expect to see a smiling face welcoming them to the hotel.  Not so difficult.  The check-in process should be relatively quick.  Verify the guest information for the stay, tell them which amenities the hotel offers, have them sign the registration card, and wish them an enjoyable stay.  It should take no more than 2-3 minutes to complete a regular check-in.

Once they are in house, things get even easier.  Most guests try to figure things out on their own, such as directions, attractions, etc., but usually they'll ask the concierge.  If there is no concierge, like in the hotel I work at, they come to the desk and ask us.  In this case, knowing the local area and the big attractions are key.  Point them in the right direction, suggest a good restaurant or somewhere fun to go, book them a cab or car service to the airport.  Those are the big three requests we get at the front desk.  If you know where to send them and how to get around, you can tell them without confusing them and they are very satisfied.  They are more likely to come back to you for advice and suggestions through their stay, and the more the rely on you, the higher chance of getting a tip at the end of the stay.

It's not even so much about the tips (although they certainly don't hurt!).  Being good at customer service is enjoyable.  You tend to move faster through the day and keep up a better attitude.  Both because you did well, and there's the chance of making extra money.  Maybe they give you enough to pay for that coffee you got on the way in to make sure you can stay awake through the shift.  Or maybe they slip you a ten and you can pay for lunch with that.

This wonderful family from Ohio was in the hotel for 4 nights this past week.  They were first timers in New York and relied on us for suggestions to shows, parks, museums, and restaurants.  Each time they walked by the desk I would greet them with a "Hello, how's your day going?" or a "Have a great evening!".  They truly loved it.  They remembered my name and said hi from across the lobby, got concerned when they saw me at 4pm, 10:30pm and then again at 7am and we're hoping I didn't work through the night.  It was really very nice.

They checked out today and came straight to me to check out.  The husband had a big smile on his face and said in his thick Midwestern accent, "Daniel, thank you so much for all you've helped us with.  We were worried about being in New York and getting lost and you made sure that didn't happen.  Next time we come back we're certainly staying here because of you", and he slipped me a ten dollar bill.  Just for being nice.

This is what customer service should be all about.  Making the guest so happy and so comfortable with their stay that they are willing to pay extra money because they know they will get good service.

AWESOME!

As I mentioned in the Introduction, I have been following a bunch of blogs for a while now.  One of the blogs I have followed consistently is 1000 Awesome Things.  It's an amazing site that brings a smile to your face pretty much every time you visit.  Neil Pasricha, the author of the site, has done an incredible job with it, and recently came out with a book titled "The Book of Awesome".

I just bought the book yesterday and I keep picking it up and opening to a random page and loving what I see.  To sum it up without giving too much away, it's a 400 page book of things that just about everyone loves.  Unless you're not human.  But even then you should love them.  The examples that Pasricha put on the book jacket are "Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant things."  And that's exactly what it is.  Other simple, brilliant things.

I showed it to a few of my friends last night and they all loved it.  As someone said so brilliantly, "it's the perfect coffee table book for the new table we just got in our apartment!"

Now, I didn't want this to sound like a book review, or me telling you to go buy it (although I am saying that.  It's awesome!), but I just wanted to give a shout out to Pasricha because his site and book had a lot to do with me starting this blog.  So thank you Neil.  Thank you for your entertainment, reminders of the good times that passed by and were forgotten, and for the inspiration.