‘Laura Loves…’ exceeded expectations!

This week’s Laura Loves comes from two hotel stays.

Last week I stayed in a Hilton – I find them totally overrated. The check-in is always by some miserable person and I do not see what the hype is all about. Yes the rooms are nice and I like the pillows but that’s about it! The first impression is always poor.

I held a workshop in Northern Ireland and used the hotel. There was a gentleman called Will who took care of the delegates and our booking on the day. My one positive from this hotel is about him:

A delegate was on crutches and recovering from a broken ankle; I asked Will for an extra chair so she could keep her leg raised. He not only brought a chair, he brought her a cushion too – I thought that was lovely.

Next up I booked myself into a Premier Inn, I don’t mind them I have to say, the rooms are always clean and comfy but I do miss the room service!

I received a text the day before confirming my stay, and I could reply to it. By typing SATNAV I had the correct postcode sent to me to get me there.

I often put in the postcode for hotels from the address on their website and it never takes you to the hotel! I end up having to ring and get directions (guess where this last happened? The Hilton East Midlands!)

I arrived and had the best check-in I had received in a long time, smiling person, friendly, interested. They had all the paperwork ready and didn’t need a thing from me except my name. I have lost count of the amount of times I am stood there wondering if there has been an error! This was perfect.

Another great thing about Premier Inn is that they never let females stay at the end of a corridor or on the first floor (I like that) and they never say your room number, they point to it – these things are very important to me when staying with PI.

Next I arrived in my room, as always clean and nice and immediately I receive an  email with my invoice. Again I lose count of the number of times a hotel says they will email the invoice and I never get it!

The reason I am focusing on the difference between the Hilton and the PI is because it doesn’t matter what part of the market you belong too, you can still provide excellent customer service.

You may view yourself as a high-end private practice, but don’t let patients’ expectations be too high if you cannot meet them, as with the Hilton.

If you are a mixed practice you should aim to impress patients so they tell their friends about you, as I am now telling you about the PI experience.

Many dentists think I only work with the high-end practices – wrong.

I work with any practice that is committed to improving their business model through system integration, developing their team and increasing their customer service.