Plenty of businesses preach about their great service, but I find very few that follow through on that promise. Here’s the thing, I want great service no matter where I go or what I’m doing. If I’m paying you for something, I expect to be be treated well (unless of course your thing is being a dick, that’s cool too as long as you stick with it).

I recently had a destination wedding in the US at a Kimpton Hotel. Before completing the booking, my fiance and I read some reviews about Kimpton Hotels and the majority of reviewers preached about Kimpton’s service. As a result, my expectations were set very high.

Next thing you know, the wife to be and I are checking into a cool, boutique hotel in the french quarter of San Francisco. Upon check-in we’re given a package, a nice little wedding present (cool), we also find out it’s a pet friendly hotel (cool, I love pets!) and if we don’t have a pet we can take one of the hotels goldfish to our room at no charge (cooler). Finally, we’re told to visit the lobby for complimentary wine and sangria between 5 – 6 pm (are you kidding me? Complimentary booze! You have just scored a customer for life!). I was being treated like a big shot, or at least that’s what it felt like.

Needless to say, my mind was blown. I’m sure it helped that I was getting married within the hotel chain, but the amenities above were included for any guest staying at the hotel (aside from the wedding present). It’s like someone took a look at hotels and asked what do people want, really want…you want to stay with your pet at no charge (Kimpton does it), you want complimentary booze (they do it), you want to raid the mini-bar in your room (they give you a $10 credit)?

Even after reading endless reviews about the chain and going in with high expectations, I was still surprised by the service and the amount of stuff included in the price of the stay. That’s pretty impressive. And better yet, they don’t even preach about their customer service on their website. They understand that guests expect great service, therefore they don’t need to say how great they are at servicing their clients. They just do it…and then some. It’s apart of who they are, it’s their brand and it’s one brand I am very loyal to.

Take a look at your business and your advertising. Do you promise great service? Do you deliver? Is it even worth saying you provide great service? What are you doing to surprise your customers? Maybe it’s walking your customers to their car with an umbrella over their head when it’s raining.

As a customer I expect great service and I’m hoping you can deliver.