Holiday Inn With a Shiny New Look

Recently I had the opportunity to stay at an all new Holiday Inn.  Wow.  They have really come a long way.

New construction.

New logo.

New interior design.

New layout.

Lots of nice soft seating areas with leather settees that you can just sink into.

Well appointed lobby with plasma TVs on the walls.

Nice sundries area with everything a traveler could need.

Lovely pool area with a robust exercise room.

Really nice.

Once inside the room, I checked the notepad on the desk just to make sure it actually said Holiday Inn. Sure enough.  It was a Holiday Inn.  Not like any Holiday Inn I had seen before. 

The room was lovely.  Truly lovely. Beautiful furnishings.  Well appointed. Almost like a suite. Little area with a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee pot.  Large flat screen TV on the bureau. Bedside table with a CD player.  Very spacious.  

I was almost sad that I would only be in the room for a few hours each night due to a schedule that kept me busy all day.  I would have been pretty content to just hang out in that great big king size bed with the really soft down comforter and watch TV all day.

Great stay, right?  Well, almost.  I headed into the restroom and it was great.  Beautiful marble counter top with under mount sink and sea glass tile.  Warm wood and shiny chrome.  High end.  I turned on the water in the tub and then reached for a switch to get the shower to come on. But no switch to flip for the shower.  I pulled the lever.  Nothing.  I pushed the lever.  Nothing.  I looked for a button.  Nothing.  I twisted and turned the lever.  Nothing.  I gave up and took a bath.  

The point?  Two points actually.

1 - Contrary to how it might appear, I am fully capable and can often work complicated machinery, like showers.  The point is that I bet the people at Holiday Inn think their shower is really easy to use.  They are just too close to it.  They have seen it so many times through their eyes that they stopped seeing it through the customers' eyes.  Stopped considering what the guest might be experiencing.

2 - All of the rest of their evolution was so great, and I enjoyed the experience so much, that it didn't stop me from wanting to go back.  It didn't stop me from enjoying the rest of my stay.  It didn't stop me from speaking highly about the changes to everyone I saw during my trip.

If you are genuine, your customers can and will forgive you.  People don't expect perfection.  They expect effort.  They expect an experience.  Put your best foot forward and you can be forgiven a misstep.

Jaci Russo

Sr. Partner

The Russo Group