Where Credit is Due

Have you ever given consideration to those that clean your hotel room? Sure many people love to complain when something is not just right, but what about a display of appreciation when everything appears to be just as it should be?

I was considering this thought when I checked into our Cairngorms hotel in Scotland last year. Everything was absolutely spotless, the bed spread was pristine, and there was an aroma that indicated that a great deal of effort and time had gone into cleaning our room; looking back on this thought, so were the Scottish highland hotels that I have visited. Thus, I felt it necessary to reward the cleaning services of the hotel. The next day, I left a bottle of wine with a note expressing my appreciation for the services that had been provided. As a result of this token of appreciation, the individual that was in charge of cleaning our room came by a little later after completing her rounds. She was so thankful that her services had been recognized by one of the guests. She stated that she absolutely loved her job, as it allowed her the opportunity to meet people from all around the world, but every once and a while it is nice to be appreciated. Her comments made me feel better about my decision to leave her that bottle of wine.

I now approach all hotels in this manner. I don't necessarily give each cleaner a bottle of wine, as I do not carry boxes of them with me, but I always make sure to give credit where it is due. I remember one particular Edinburgh city centre hotel a couple of months ago where I had commented on how clean my room was to the front desk. I am not sure if the individual that took care of our room ever received my compliment, but the front staff were kind of surprised when I told them how pleased I was. It was not that they thought there hotel was below standard or anything like that, but they rarely received compliments. People tend to forget to say thank you when something is done correctly, instead they merely focus on the negative. Perhaps we should change our outlook on these types of situations.