Have you ever taken the time to look at the word Pet Peeve? What is a peeve anyway? Well, in this case, I have a pet peeve and it has to do with amenities left for guests in hotel rooms.
I am always grateful for any and all forms of kind gestures and welcoming experiences that I encounter in my personal and professional life. If one names their company Thank You Very Much Inc, well, being gracious and grateful is an important value to live by and the spirit in which this blog post is written. While I always appreciate when an amenity is in my room upon arrival, I am constantly baffled as to why little or no thought is put into the gesture. Haven’t we been keeping guest history files for years now?
On a personal note, I do not drink alcohol, I do not eat sugar (although dark chocolate is an exception), and I am allergic to gluten. So why then am I usually greeted by cookies, red wine, or cheese with bread and crackers? I have often called room service and asked if I could switch for a bottle of Fiji water and some fruit and am usually accommodated although it never feels good, nor does writing a thank you note for something I didn’t enjoy.
I know the purpose of an amenity is to serve as a personal welcome and as such it would be great to have it be a little more personal. This is why the exquisite amenity I received at The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas last week stood out so much. It was creatively presented and had everything I like—bottled water, fruit and the perfect dark chocolate- covered strawberry. It did everything an amenity is supposed to do. It made me feel welcome, it added an emotional moment every time I entered the room or passed it, and I enjoyed the contents as well as the gesture.