I recently traveled to the windy city on an overnight business trip. After I checked into my hotel room I was astonished to discover that the room had unique breath mints that were designed to match the trendy hand soap. As a marketer, I appreciate the time and detailed effort that goes into building brand equity and the thought behind delighting customers. I was amazed. They had gone above and beyond what I expected from my hotel room… or so I thought…

You see, I had been told that the internet was free to the Hotel’s patrons when I checked in. Well, when I logged on, the hotel’s WiFi sign-on screen told me that there would be a $10 fee charged to my room. Slightly perturbed, I picked up the phone to call the front desk to find out if I had to pay or not. It rang, and rang, and rang… for a very – very long time. Finally, someone picked up the phone with a disgusted sounding voice and asked me what I needed… I asked about the WiFi cost and was told that any fees would be refunded. So, then I proceeded to log on, which was successful. Then I went up to the floor that the conference was being held on and opened up my laptop only to find out that the table I was sitting at didn’t have and WiFi coverage…

The point is, even though they had marvelous breath mints, the hotel miserably failed to deliver on the two things that mattered most to me, prompt service from their staff and the WiFi that I needed to take care of business.

Are you investing in the things that truly delight your customers?