Two weeks ago, exactly two days before my birthday, I checked in to the Omni Severin hotel in Indianapolis, one of two hotels I frequently use during my weekly business trips to Indy. Recently, I’d been staying at the Embassy Suites to beef up my Hilton Honors status but since it was sold out, I was back at my other regular hotel. When I picked up my key, I noticed that the room was on the Penthouse level, but I’ve stayed up there before and the rooms were exactly the same as other floors so I didn’t think much about it. That is, until I got off the elevator and saw that my room had a name – the City View Suite.
When I opened the door, it was pretty clear I’d received an upgrade but what really touched me was the beautiful dessert platter on the desk and the card – not the regular “Select Guest” welcome to our hotel card, but a birthday card addressed to me personally and individually signed by what looked like most of the management staff of the hotel! The platter and card were accompanied by two bottles of Fiji water (which happens to be my favorite) and on the nightstand, there was yet another bottle of Fiji water plus the “standard” Select Guest candy treat. Maybe I’m a cheap date, but I was really impressed with the gesture and the presentation. I’ve been in hotels on or near my birthday on many occasions but the day has never been acknowledged without intervention by a member of my family or a friend with whom I’m traveling. Turns out, the surprise was engineered by the “Select Guest Manager” at the hotel. (Select Guest is the Omni loyalty program.) I think they do this for everyone in the program, even people who happen to be staying for more than 8 hours, as I was that night, but it was still impressive. If I hadn’t arrived at midnight, I might have been able to take advantage of the “city view” aspect of my suite, which turned out to be a full sized private patio overlooking the city of Indianapolis. Unfortunately, I left for work early the next morning so I couldn’t really enjoy the room, but I definitely appreciated the gesture. But there’s more …
A couple days after I returned, I got what seems to be the norm now, an online survey asking me for feedback about my “recent hotel stay.” Since I’d had such a wonderful experience, I felt compelled to fill out the survey, adding another thank you for the wonderful birthday surprise but also adding some feedback about the inconsistency of the rooms I’ve stayed in at the hotel – each one having one feature I like but another that I really don’t like and not being able to get a room that combines my two desired features – a nice work area and large bathroom countertop. A day later, I got an e-mail from the very same Select Guest manager who engineered my birthday surprise that she’d received my feedback and had blocked a particular room that meets both my criteria for my next stay. I’d actually tried making that request to the front desk staff on prior stays, but they weren’t really able to find the right room for me. Now I’m really hooked – you’d have to be a really major cynic to not respond and give your business to someone who is clearly going out of the way to make you feel welcome and accommodated when you’re on a business trip. Hats off and thanks to Marion Fish at the Omni Severin in Indianapolis. Next time you’re in Indy, I definitely recommend that you sign up for Select Guest and make the Omni your temporary home.
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