A few months ago I was out in San Diego on business.  Thinking back on this trip there’s one experience that really stuck with me.

After a long, uncomfortable flight I was really looking forward to a great dinner, and a relaxing remainder of the evening.  I grabbed my luggage and headed outside to find a cab. 

Arriving at the Sheraton the doorman quickly unloaded my luggage and welcomed me to San Diego.  I made my way to the front desk to check in.  As I placed my wallet on the counter to retrieve my credit card I realized I was missing something.. Where is my cell phone?  I frantically patted my pockets, and checked my bags.  I felt my stress level rise as I came to the reality that my “lifeline” was now on it’s way back to the airport to pick up more passengers. 

I ran back outside and asked the doorman if he remembered which cab company I arrived in – He did not.  In the back of my mind I had already accepted the fact there was no way it would be recovered.  Let’s face reality here, very rarely do you regain possession of an item left in a cab. 

The doorman asked for my cell phone number and told me not to worry: ‘Go ahead and check in, I’ll take care of the rest’
I wasn’t quite sure how confident I should be, but it eased my mind a bit and I went back to check-in. 

After receiving my room key I glanced over to large glass front doors, and to my surprise the doorman was smiling back with a big ‘thumbs up’! 
My first thought - Shut the ‘f’ up, really?  I couldn’t thank him enough!  He used his own cell phone to repeatedly call my phone until the driver answered.  A few minutes later the cab pulled up and he handed me my phone.  I tipped them both again, and headed up to my room, relieved, and assured that I chose the right hotel.

Throughout my stay I witnessed how focused the employees were on their customer.  They did everything in their power to assure my stay was pleasant and stress free.  They completely understood the concept of putting the pain on yourself, and not your customer. 

Yes, it’s their job, but when they go above and beyond to assist, it’s more than their job, it’s commendable.

Here’s a post I really enjoyed from Ashish Kuriakose’s blog.