Delight in the Details – Service with a Soft Touch

There’s an old adage that the devil’s in the details. Well, I prefer to say: “Delight is in the details!”

In continuing my series on the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, I can’t help but dedicate one of this month’s posts to the delightfulness of one of their fine menus. No, it’s not from L’Atelier, the Nobhill Tavern or any of the other superb restaurants in the hotel. You might call it a menu of warm and fuzzy “nightcaps:” A sumptuous list of 15 exquisite pillows from which guests may choose. I know many luxury establishments do this, but I must admit I never took advantage of this amenity until now. In the past, I thought it was just a silly hype, who needs so many pillow choices? But this time I decided to try it.  It was a little like Goldilocks. The buckwheat pillow was too hard, the body pillow was too big but the butterfly pillow was just right.

Most of us grow quite attached to our pillows, and people’s pillow preferences vary greatly. Most travelers understand, however, that there are just some comforts of home that…well, need to stay at home. By offering “The Pillow Menu,” The MGM Grand provides a variety of pillows for a variety of tastes, bringing one of the essential comforts of home to their guests’ experience, even while they sleep!

Since discovering the butterfly pillow, now I want to get one to have the comforts of The MGM at home instead of the other way around

The hotel industry is fortunate, in that we have many points of contact with our guests. They retire at night with us, eat with us, are pampered by us, spend their leisure time with us, etc. We have the privilege of being their homes away from home, adding special, personalized details.

And yet, I am convinced that every business can discover ways to provide “delight in the details”—tricks to offer a special soft touch with personalized, caring and thoughtful service. Think for a minute:  Do you offer your own version of the “pillow menu’?  If not, how might you provide your customers/clients with delight, by focusing on the details?

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