The Caring Concierge
“Hi, I’m calling for a shuttle to the hotel.”
I had just arrived in Houston and was waiting for my checked bag to appear on the luggage merry-go-round.
“Um, I’m sorry,” she began nervously, “but I don’t have anyone down for a shuttle at this time. Did you make a reservation?”
A reservation? It hadn’t even occurred to me. The airport hotels I usual stay in have a shuttle that either runs on a schedule, or asks you to call them when you arrive.
“No, I don’t. Did I need a reservation?”
“Yes, we require a reservation. Our shuttle driver isn’t even into work for another 3 hours since we didn’t have anyone on the schedule.”
“Oh, shoot,” I muttered as I tried to figure out my backup plan. But before I could even think, she beat me to it:
“Tell you what, let me call you a Lyft. It’s on us, no worries.”
“Wow, are you sure? Thank you so much!”
“My pleasure, sir. What’s your name, so that I can get you checked in? We’ll see you soon.”
And within minutes a Lyft driver showed up and brought me to the hotel, no questions asked, no charge.
No Status Necessary
It took me until after we got off the phone to realize she offered to book me a Lyft and take care of the cost, for MY mistake, before she even knew my name. Which means she didn’t yet know that I had Gold Elite Status with the hotel.
Contrast that with the hotel concierge in this previous blog, who was indifferent until he realized I had status, then suddenly 'turned on' the charm.
She wasn’t doing it to make sure a status member stayed happy. She did it because I was a human who made a mistake, and she wanted to help. There was nothing in it for her. She could have simply said, “These are the rules, and they are clearly stated on our website.” And she would have been right.
But there’s nothing human about stating the rules.
I was in such a good mood that I gave the Lyft driver a big tip on a 5-minute ride. I hope it inspired him to do a kindness for someone else, and so on.
Humanity. Kindness. Empathy.
Make it a daily practice and watch it spread.
