Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009 - (Page 6)

frugal housekeeper The Honor of Being an Ambassador: The Company is On the Line! Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful state of Washington and tour the areas of Seattle and Tacoma. This is a beautiful part of the United States, with the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Cascade mountain range to the east, crowned by the soaring grandeur of Mount Rainier (14,411 feet). Oh the grandeur and beauty of the area! These two scenes, the mountains and the waves, are magnificent natural ambassadors to the wonders of the State of Washington. My time in Washington was far too short, and soon it was time to return; however, the airplane had a different idea. It was getting near evening and time to take off, but the airplane had no exterior lights, which the pilot indicated that we had to have in order to fly at night. There was an electrical short in a wing, and after several hours of tinkering around, it was decided that the flight would have to be cancelled for the safety of all involved. As you can imagine, travelers were quite irate. About two hundred travelers hounded r by Alan S. Bigger and Linda B. Bigger the airline ticket attendant for new flights or routes; however, those flying across the continent from the West Coast to the East Coast had limited options. By the time I reached the counter, all outbound flights were full. I was advised that I would have to stay in a local hotel. I was not a happy traveler, as I had business meetings back home the next morning. However, there was no alternative but to stay at the local hotel. My heart was full of dread because after cancelled flights I’ve had in the past, the hotels had been marginal at least, in quality of service and cleanliness. So, I took the shuttle to the hotel. When I arrived at the hotel, the desk clerk was wonderful. I was speedily checked in, even though all I had was an airline travel voucher for the hotel room and a meal. The clerk offered me several options of rooms and views, and located my room in the quietest part of the hotel, far away from the noise of the flight line of the adjacent airport. The clerk gave me a coupon for a free meal in the hotel restaurant. After checking in, I went to my room, and by meal time, I had somehow lost the meal coupon she had given me. I went down and advised her as to what had happened, and without a question, she provided me a replacement coupon. She could have refrained, as she knew that I had called my son who lived locally to come and join me for the meal; she could have thought I was trying to get another coupon for him. When it was time to go to sleep, I called the “wake up” number, and the person who answered the phone was the same clerk. She asked me how I enjoyed my meal, if my son was able to join me, and if we had a good time. I told her that it all worked out very well, thanks to her. Why such a long story? The clerk at the hotel made me feel at home—she took care of my room needs, made sure I had a meal for the evening, and even replaced my misplaced voucher, no questions asked. The amazing thing is that she remembered me, even on the phone when I asked for a “wake up” call—she made sure that was taken care of, as well as 6 Executive Housekeeping Today/January 2009

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009

Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009 Contents Executive Corner Start With the Seal: CRI Seal of Approval Offers Proven Effectiveness 2008 IHW Celebrations! Frugal Housekeeper What’s in Your Janitor Closet? Feature Article Let the “Recognition Games” Begin! The Green Scene Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members REH/CEH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside IEHA What IEHA Has Done For Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009

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