The White Lotus
We’d do (almost) anything for a guest!
Have you seen the HBO show The White Lotus? People kept telling us to watch it and when they’d explain what it was, I thought to myself, “Eh, a show about a hotel?” We were kinda living it, no? (Well, except for the murder part! Haha)
In Episode 1 of Season 1, Jennifer Coolidge’s character, Tanya McQuoid, arrives at the hotel and immediately approaches Armond, the hotel manager…
Tanya: I’m in desperate need of a massage. Is that possible? Is there anything available? I mean, I just… I’d take anything right now because I have a herniated disc and I just…
Armond to the spa manager: Belinda, Ms. McQuoid is in need of a treatment. Would you have any openings for her this afternoon?
Belinda: Um… unfortunately, we are all booked.
Tanya: Oh, no. I just… Really? Are you sure? I would really appreciate it. I’m not picky. You know, if… I don’t have to have deep tissue or anything. I’d take anything at this point. Anything. Anything but reiki, of course.
Belinda: Um, you know what? I’ll see what we can do.
Tanya: Really?
Belinda: Yeah.
As soon as I saw that first episode, I laughed! You know why that’s funny? Because it’s true!
Some guests can seem entitled or just really looking forward to their vacations! As I’ve mentioned, our hotel was different because we, I believe, went above and beyond. There was no reasonable request we didn’t try to meet.
We empowered our team to do the same. Our first answer wasn’t ‘no’, but instead, ‘we’ll see what we can do’ or ‘how can we make this work for you?’
Sure, some special requests were easy yeses like the guy who wanted a dozen fried eggs for breakfast EVERY MORNING or the woman celebrating her 28th birthday and wanted specific decorations like what she saw on Instagram, but the ‘let’s make this work for you’ bigger things…
We sure did-DO!
A few examples:
During the perfect storm, we had 2 guests staying with us who were stranded down the mountain. We had arranged for them to stay at another hotel for the night, but the following day, they needed to get to the airport for their return flight to Canada. On their own initiative, our manager, AJ, Vianney and our chef, David, decided to gather the guests’ belongings from the hotel, and help them get back to San Jose. No matter that the roads were flooded, or some closed, and that we were about 3 ½ hours from the San Jose airport. AJ, Vianney, and David, all Costa Rican, and not unfamiliar with storms like this or ways to get around the country, drove them back to San Jose to make their flight. Above and beyond. Crisis averted.
After our remodel, we were so proud of our newly redesigned pool! The gorgeous black tile, the infinity edge views…but…because there are no U.S.- type ‘rules’ about pools in Costa Rica, we didn’t have any kind of handrail. At times, stepping in the pool could be challenging for some travelers. A travel agent booked a lovely couple for a few days who we thought were having a nice time. On their 2nd day, the woman told the concierge that they were going to have their travel agent rebook them to another hotel. When the concierge asked why, we were told that on vacation, she loves every day to get in the pool and swim/walk a few laps, but with our pool, she was uneasy stepping in. Oh no! We had just reopened after our 5 month remodel closure, and we couldn’t afford a guest to leave, or leave unhappy! We offered suggestions: she could wear her tennis shoes in the pool, we could go to town to buy her a pair of flip-flops…nothing was satisfactory. Then Mark had an idea. I owned a pair of Ecco sandals with a firm bottom and a strap around the ankle for full support that could be used in water. We offered her my sandals! (What? I thought. Sharing sandals with a stranger? Ew.) It had to be done. We showed her the sandals and offered them to her for use during her stay. She tried them and she was so happy-it worked! Each morning, she’d arrive to the pool area in my sandals, confidently walk down the pool stairs, get in the pool and do her lap walking. They stayed for their entire time and gave rave reviews to their travel agent. Crisis averted.
One year, a family of 5 came for a week after Christmas. When they arrived in San Jose, the airline had lost their luggage. The young women had carry-ons with their swimsuits in them, so they were set for a few days at a luxury hotel pool! The mom only had the clothes she was wearing for the trip-and they were traveling from cold, winter Chicago to our tropical climate. She was not set for a few days. I offered her a few of my shorts and shirts that she could use until her luggage arrived. Crisis averted.
We had a new relationship with a big travel agent, and we were excited for the possibility of working with them to increase our exposure and our bookings. This travel agent booked 2 friends for a girl’s trip to our hotel. On their final day with us, the 2 friends set off for a horse-back riding excursion on the beach at sunset. A few hours later, the horse-back riding tour operator called the concierge to tell us that at the end of the trip, one of the women fell off the horse, landed hard on a rock, and badly cut her arm. So badly, that she needed to go to the hospital. Julian, the tour operator would drive them to the hotel about 45 minutes away. Mark and I spoke to the other woman who was in a panic about her friend, and about not being able to speak Spanish at the hospital. We told her we would meet them at the hospital. Mark and I drove to meet Julian and the women, waited at the hospital for hours for her to be treated, and then drove them back to our hotel for the night. The next morning, they were to return to San Jose and fly home. Crisis averted.
There were other examples too:
A guest did not have appropriate shoes for the beach. (Who travels to a tropical country without appropriate footwear?! Flip-flops, sandals?!) She was complaining about not being able to go to the beach, so we bought her a pair of flip-flops in town. When I told Mark that I was going to add them to her bill, he said, nope, no charge. Happy guest.
Another time, an older guest from England realized she didn’t have a bathing suit with her for the trip. (Again? Um, tropical country travel??!! Hot climate, pools, beaches?!) She was sad, so I offered to drive her to town to find a bathing suit. Although we were a beach location, our town was small, without many clothing stores that sold swim attire and even fewer that had “full-figured” options this guest needed. But we found one! Another happy guest.
So, really, it’s pretty easy to ‘see what we can do’ when asked.
It just takes a little will, creativity, and of course some Pura Vida. Crisis averted!
Has anyone ever gone above and beyond for you on a trip? Let me know below!
Or share with a friend!
We witness the pool sandals story! I remember how happy the guest looked, being able to walk into the pool without fear of falling.
I also remember a delicious guanábana that you guys got for me!
I've never heard of White Lotus, but it sounds interesting. You all went above and beyond, again and again. It's the effort, little or big, that may make all the difference for someone.