A few years ago, I attended a talk given by the very famous sister and brother team, Patricia and Robert Fripp. Patricia Fripp is a well-known professional speaker and Robert Fripp is a famous world-class guitar player and the former leader of the British rock band, King Crimson. One of the stories Robert shared touched...Read More

That old adage, “Do what you love and the money will follow,” really is good advice. The problem, of course, is knowing what it is that you love. In the late 70’s, when I was a young manager, I mistakenly hired my closest friend to be a part of the concierge team. While she is...Read More

I really love it when love is expressed in unexpected places. Southwest Airlines was one of the first to introduce love into their business and helped raise the bar and set the expectation for excellence in customer service. I give them props for doing just that. I wish more companies would follow suit and recognize...Read More

Every year I pick a word to focus on for that year. Over the many years I have been doing this, I have chosen words, like joy, trust, love, prosperity, fruition and magic. Recently I was contemplating the word I wanted to choose for 2012 and was having a hard time picking just one. On...Read More

Today I’d like to share a couple of really interesting responses to my blog post about “Being Right.” As a result of reading the post, my cousin Adrienne in North Carolina graciously let her ophthalmologist know that he took her into his office 45 minutes later than her scheduled appointment. His response, “Well, you can...Read More

I was staying at a hotel located in North Miami Beach that generously offered complimentary shuttle service to South Beach so their guests could enjoy having dinner in that colorful part of town. I was told to be on time for the shuttle as they leave on the dot. I was prepared for adherence to...Read More

Last week I checked in curbside at Virgin Airlines and the baggage checker refused a tip. A few nights later, I presented a tip to a valet parker at the Grand Reunion Resort in Orlando and he also refused the gratuity. Twice in one week? Could it be a trend? Just when I was wondering...Read More

I recently received an e -mail from a colleague in India asking for some historical photos of concierges in the United States. While I was going through my files, I came across a sheet of paper that had the title, “Rules Of The Desk.” I wrote it when I was 28 years old and working...Read More

I have long been a proponent of establishing a “no policy zone” in order to manage challenging customer relations. I imagine a sign similar to the international no parking sign, a large circle with a capital P in the center with a line going through it, to signify don’t park here, don’t do it, don’t...Read More

I just visited the Eldridge Street Synagogue on New York City’s Lower East Side. It has been an active synagogue since 1886 and is well worth a visit. Under restoration for the better part of a generation, the building has been transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful place of worship as well as an educational center...Read More