Where The Guest’s Happiness Counts

“My job is to make you happy.”  When is the last time you heard that from an airline, hotel, or car rental company?  For me, the last time was this morning.

Off to see “The Bard”

Many times during the last four decades my wife and I have packed our bags, jumped in my car, and driven 350 miles north from the San Francisco Bay Area for a visit to Ashland, Oregon, home of the famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  We take in a few plays, eat some good food, sample Oregon wines, and enjoy the scenic beauty of the area.

But we kept encountering one problem:  Finding lodgings where we enjoyed our stay so much that we wouldn’t consider booking a room anywhere else.

Finding a special place to stay

We found a great little vacation cottage two blocks from the Festival theaters, but taking even a shallow breath during the night caused the bedsprings to squeak unmercifully, rousing my wife from her slumbers.  We tried a similar place with a much better bed, but a poorly designed layout, and longer walk to the theaters.  While meandering around town, we spotted what may be Ashland’s the best vacation rental property, but it always seems to be booked up far in advance
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We stayed in the restored historic downtown hotel, but the room was like a walk-in closet; it was hard not to fall directly onto the bed when stepping out of the bathroom.  There are some Victorian-era homes in Ashland that have been turned into B&Bs, but neither my wife nor I are fans of stand-up bathing in claw-foot bathtubs surrounded by shower curtains that stick to your back whenever the slightest breeze wafts through the bathroom.

Lodging nirvana

Three years ago, friends recommended that we try a new place on the northern outskirts of town.  We prefer to park our car on arrival in Ashland, not get back in it until we are ready to head for home, and make our way about on foot during our stay.  In our minds, a car-free vacation is a care-free vacation.  Fortunately, the inn our friends had suggested was only a short three to five minute drive from downtown.
So on our next trip to Ashland in 2007, we booked a room at the Lithia Springs Resort which has traditional B&B rooms in the main building, and “multiplex” accommodations scattered across four acres.  There’s even an old two-storey water tower that has been converted to rooms
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Our large three-room suite, next to the garden and koi pond, was roomy, comfortable and exceedingly quiet.  We went back to stay in the summer of 2008, and we’re headed there again this August.

Putting a smile on my face

Sounds like a nice place you say, but where does “My job is to make you happy” come into play?
Lithia Springs Resort’s recent e-newsletter offering a discount for mid-week stays prompted me to quickly plan another trip  to Ashland.  After booking our favorite room yesterday evening, I remembered that I had not mentioned the discount, so I sent a quick e-mail to the inn saying that I’d just bring the discount coupon with me when I arrived.

This morning I received a call from Robin, head of customer relations for Lithia Springs.  Responding to my e-mail, she said, “My job is to make you happy” and that the inn would actually give me an even greater reduction on my room rate.
 
It was service with a smile that put a smile on this traveler’s face.  Perhaps the airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies should book a stay for their staff at Lithia Springs so they could learn why making the customer happy is always good for business.