Imagine a world where you don’t need to be wealthy to experience luxury service.
A world where your name was used, where your preferences were known, and everything was offered in a proactive fashion. Regardless of your socio-economic status.
Imagine a world where everyone was exposed to the nuances of five star and five diamond service.
A world where you, the customer, are always made to feel like everyone is catering to you.
Imagine a world where every hospitality worker has once received personalized service themselves.
A world where a future doorman has had a door held for them.
When I saw that University of Wisconsin-Stout School of Management was offering its students the incredible opportunity to experience luxury firsthand, within the confines of an actual course, I was overjoyed. I wish this opportunity were available in every university.
I wish this concept was available for everyone.
When I taught at Delaware County Community College and Drexel University, it was a joy to take students out of the classroom and see firsthand businesses (restaurants and hotels) that created wow moments on behalf of their customers. In my Hotel Customer Service course that I created at Drexel, I also used the framework of Forbes as well as AAA (and their service standards) to emphasize how a hotel can ensure they are consistently exceeding expectations.
Just like at UW, so many of my students had never experienced luxury service. And if you have never experienced something firsthand, it is that much harder to picture yourself doing it. Let alone doing it well.
What is a luxury hospitality moment that you would love for others to experience firsthand?