How to arrest attention (pun intended) using social media.

September 27, 2017

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, Social Media, Branding Strategies — @ 10:30 am

This is a complaint I hear often: We put a ton of time into social media and it’s like nobody is listening. And then they blame the algorithm.

Poor things. I feel like a therapist when I pull them aside and hit them with some radical candor:

Psst. It’s not the algorithm. It’s YOU.

Because the way most brands do social media, nobody IS listening. Most businesses – at least in my industry, which is travel, tourism, and hospitality – do their scheduled, obligatory posts like clockwork… often carefully vetted in advance by executives who crave control over all marketing messages.

That’s the key issue right there: the forum of social media rewards nimble and impromptu risk takers, and penalizes scripted, safe automatons. And I don’t mean the algorithms reward and penalize…I mean the audiences. Algorithms do indeed shape who sees your stuff…but algorithms are influenced by audiences. If enough folks engage with your stuff, the algorithm rewards you handsomely.

Here’s a magnificent example. The Lawrence Kansas Police Department sells these t-shirts:

And if you spend just 10 minutes scrolling through their Twitter feed, you’ll be rolling on the floor howling with laughter. And then you might even click “follow,” despite the fact that you live nowhere near Kansas. I did.

The population of Lawrence is around 95,000. The Lawrence Police Department has a Twitter following of 63,000. If the New York City Police Department wanted to have the same ratio of followers-to-population, it would need 5,610,000 followers. It currently has 431,000.

And engagement with LKPD tweets is absurdly high…a recent tweet got 550,000 likes and 174,000 retweets. Reading that will make lots of social media marketers swoon with envy.

Why is the engagement so strong, and why is their social media effort so successful? Five key reasons:

It’s not just an obligatory marketing tactic…it’s used as a tool and grounded in solid purpose (connect with the community and make them want to listen to the police). That North Star anchors their entire effort, so it never loses its way and becomes white noise.
It’s an ongoing dialogue, happening in real time. Even promotional messages feel natural and organic…not scripted and salesy.
They promote the bejesus out of their social channels every chance they get, even offline (see t-shirts above for living proof).
It’s entertaining (and therefore shareworthy). Say what you will about human attention spans, but the fact is…we gravitate toward things that make us laugh and feel good.
It persuades, not just informs. Like so:

INFORMS = “Don’t drive around Road Closed signs into flood water or you may get stranded.”

PERSUADES:

The bottom line is…they invest the time AND the risk AND the focus. Social media – when done right – requires diving into the deep end fully clothed.

So, you may be spending a lot of time “doing” social media, but how exactly are you spending that time? If you spend more time planning than actually engaging with audiences, flipflop that ratio and you’ll see a difference.

Or, you could just give it all up and become a Lawrence Kansas police officer. It seems fun.

What a difference a word makes (in marketing).

August 10, 2017

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, This is Cool — @ 9:35 am

The gods of marketing were smiling on me that day.

While leading a group of Canadian culinary tourism delegates through Philadelphia on an educational best practices mission (what’s that, you say?…learn more here), we stumbled upon a stunningly artistic city utility box, like so:

Yes, I’m a ham. However, I’m also an educator by nature, so this box became a teaching moment. We paused here on our walk to discuss the power of surprises and the marketing opportunities that come from turning ordinary things into unexpected pops of joy.

When the spontaneous lesson concluded, we continued on our walk. And not five minutes later, one of the group exclaimed “Oh my god, look at that sign!”…and all the delegates from Taste of Nova Scotia turned toward the entrance to Sweet Box Bakery:

The exclaimer gave me a quick look, as if to say… “did you plan this?” I just dropped a small curtsey and said “I rest my case.”

Folks. Be surprising. Be fun. People notice.

Learn a bit more about Philly’s painted utility boxes here.

Dogs + vodka + love = marketing.

July 10, 2017

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Branding Strategies — @ 11:58 am

I owe Tito’s Vodka a humble and heartfelt apology.

Tito's "Vodka for Dog People" Ad

Walking thru LaGuardia Airport recently, I saw this ad and immediately thought: shame on them. Using the irresistible marketing star power of dogs to try to sell their vodka? That’s quite a stretch. Dogs can’t even drink vodka (duh), so who do they think they’re kidding?

This felt like one of those “jump on the bandwagon” marketing tactics that Redpoint warns clients against doing. You can’t just put crayons on your dining tables and claim “we’re a kid friendly restaurant,” or stick a pride flag on your porch and claim “we’re an LGBTQ friendly hotel.” You need the chops to back it up if you REALLY want to court a specific market. Half-heartedly courting a target audience without committing to substance under the hood will just backfire and alienate them.

So…you can’t just buy a cool URL (www.VodkaForDogPeople.com) and claim you’re a dog friendly vodka.

But when I went to the website (poised for righteous indignation) Tito’s surprised me, and knocked this cynical marketer flat. They truly ARE “Vodka for Dog People,” and their mission, programming, and charity work all prove it. This is no impulsive, bandwagon marketing technique… there’s quite a bite behind this positioning.

So what happened? The ice melted, and I fell in love with them. And I don’t even drink vodka, nor do I think about vodka brands. But as a dog lover…if I did…I’d give Tito’s a try. Maybe even become brand loyal.

What’s the moral of this story? The strength of the connection you make with a targeted segment of customers is directly proportionate to the investment you make in courting it. If you half-ass the approach, you’ll get a lukewarm response at best. But if you go all in, you’ll get the ROI you seek.

Tito’s… I’m sorry, and I’m not afraid to say it with candor. I judged you unfairly, and as my penance, I will buy at least one bottle of your vodka and pet 100 dogs. #EveryoneWins

Bathroom branding…it’s a thing.

June 8, 2017

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Spending Budgets Wisely, Branding Strategies — @ 8:18 am

When you’re walking (hurrying?) into a public bathroom, your mental focus is probably pretty singular: get in, get relief, and get out…with minimal engagement to the actual bathroom itself.

Unless there is a clever sign on the door.

Then…you smile, and even if just for a brief second…you think about the brand that “owns” the bathrooms. Maybe you even take a picture of the sign and post it on social media. You might even tag that brand, and give them a shout-out for being fabulous. Or text it to a friend.

The point is…you notice, and a connection is formed between you and that brand. If the bathroom doors are simply marked “Men” and “Women,” you don’t even spare them (or the brand) a brain cell. But when they’re unexpected and distinct, you pay attention. Case in point:

At the Timber Lounge in Halifax, Nova Scotia…a bar at which you can enjoy a spot of axe throwing:

Timber Lounge

At Weylin B. Seymour’s glamourous event space in Brooklyn, NY, the wheelchair accessible bathrooms inspire festive attitudes:

wheelchair

At an Irving highway rest area in New Brunswick, Canada…the LEAST likely place you’d be inspired to care about a brand:

At the Hotel on North in Pittsfield, MA, which boasts a sophisticated-yet-funky-retro vibe (psst… Redpoint designed these):

Hotel on North Bathroom

The point is, bathroom signs are an easy, inexpensive and non-intrusive way to make a connection with your guests. You’ve got to put signs up anyway…why not let them help further your marketing goals?

And if you ever need to set up port-a-potties…take a page from the Rochester Lilac Festival and GO ALL IN:

Lilac Bathrooms

Lilac port-a-potties, people. I rest my case.

The secret to extraordinary guest service.

September 28, 2016

Filed under: Customer Service, Observations From the Field, This is Cool — @ 9:05 am

Two years ago, Sandra the housekeeper at the Delta Halifax in Nova Scotia stole my heart and forever sealed my loyalty to that hotel. I thought the happily-ever-after story ended there…but I was wrong. It gets better.

Since that famous visit (the blog post about it was read/shared more than 100,000 times), I’ve returned to the Delta Halifax often. And given the widespread recognition of the story, it’s not surprising that many of the staff there know me, or at least know who I am. I treasure the bond that we’ve forged, and their extraordinary guest service has remained intact on each visit.

The guest in me revels in that consistency. But the hospitality business counselor in me realizes that the stakes are getting higher and higher with each stay. Can they keep hitting the mark EVERY SINGLE TIME? Surely, they’re bound to be off their service game at some point. What’s going to happen to this magical bond between us when they disappoint me for the first time? What’s going to happen when they fail?

Happily, on my most recent visit, I learned that The Delta Halifax will NEVER fail at delivering extraordinary guest service. I discovered their foolproof secret, and here it is:

After a grueling five-hour drive, I arrived at the hotel at 9:30pm…parked right in front of the door, flew out of the car, ran past the front desk agent, said nothing but “Hi, I need the ladies room before I can check in,” and then scooted out of sight. When I returned to the front desk, the agent (who I didn’t know) had my room keys ready and said, “Welcome back, Ms. Miranda…we have you in Sandra’s section, and will you be needing assistance with your bags before we park your car?”

I didn’t ask how she knew who I was. Perhaps I was the last check-in that evening. Maybe they have a photo of me in my guest profile. Who cares? I was just grateful for the friendly expediency and headed back outside to deal with luggage and car.

The young bellman gent who shepherded me (and seven large bags and boxes) to my room was also unfamiliar to me, though he too also seemed to know me. While chatting, I asked how long he’s been working there. Answer: three weeks. After he got me settled into the room, I asked him if I needed a valet ticket for my car. Answer: “No worries, Ms. Miranda, we know who you are…just call down when you’re ready for the car and we’ll bring it around.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. I said, “You just started three weeks ago…how on earth do you know who I am?”

Answer: “Are you kidding? You’re a legend here. I learned about your pillow story during my orientation, and everyone who works here gets excited when you’re coming back.” Cue mouth agape and slight sting of happy tears on my part.

But wait. There’s more.

I gave him a $25 tip when he left my room…that was a lot of heavy baggage AND he parked my car. A minute later, he knocked on my door to give the 20 back because he thought I mistakenly gave him the wrong bill. Seriously. I almost gave him ANOTHER 20, just for being adorable.

Adorable gent gone, I surveyed the room. Yes, my special towel-pillow was there, with a welcome note from Sandra. And this time, she upped her game, surrounding my complimentary bottle of water with hearts that she hand cut out of paper water coasters.

fullsizerender-8 Life was good. I was home.

But now I was curious. Was it JUST me? It seems that my blog post had earned the hotel some measure of recognition among its peers and corporate office, and Sandra was certainly given praise for her role in the famous pillow story. But was everyone in this hotel extra nice and helpful to me just because I got them positive attention? I needed to know.

So the next day, I sat and observed…at the restaurant, in the lobby, outside on the benches. I watched every single staff member interact with guests at various points throughout the day. And guess what? It’s not just me. They may not know everyone’s name or face, but good heavens…they are THAT NICE AND HELPFUL to everyone. I saw anticipatory, gracious, and extraordinary service at every touch point – servers, bell staff, maintenance dudes, front desk team, executives walking around…every interaction, with every person.

How was this possible? The Delta Halifax is NOT a small hotel. But surely they can’t have simply hired every amazing person in the city? And surely they can’t just hand out a training manual and teach people good judgment on how to be gracious without being annoying? If that were possible, then every hotel in the world would be a giant bundle of amazingness.

And then, upon reflection, it hit me. It’s pride. Staff at the Delta Halifax are instilled with a sense of pride in the hotel, and in each other. They enjoy nurturing the hotel’s stellar reputation, and they conspire together to make guests happy. They care deeply – collectively and as individuals – that guests are made to feel welcomed, special, and loved. And…here’s the best part: it’s genuine. They don’t just act it. They FEEL it.

Yes, there’s a Delta employee training manual. And yes, there are workshops, brand standards, performance reviews and all that jazz. But let me tell you something, folks: you can’t teach pride.

Full honors go to the executive team at the Delta Halifax for fostering that culture, because this type of environment can ONLY exist if the management team encourages it, shapes it, rewards it, and reclaims it when it goes astray.

Hospitality managers everywhere…here’s what you can learn from this story. If your guest service isn’t extraordinary, find out why your employees aren’t taking pride in your organization and fix it. Why should they love working for you? Why should they care? What are you trying to achieve together for your guests? Fix that, and I guarantee you, all your guest service issues will go away.

Delta Halifax…I take my hat off to you. You have my loyalty as a guest, and my respect as a hospitality business counselor. I don’t know exactly how you instill that sense of pride in your staff, but you know what? I don’t want to know. Keep that part of your secret, and I’ll just keep coming back to enjoy the magic.

PS: On the second morning of my stay, the server at breakfast automatically brought me cream with my coffee because she remembered I asked for it on the first day. Just sayin’.

Social media + cool things = your free sales force.

February 29, 2016

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, Social Media — @ 8:22 am

My nephew is going to eat at Roast Sandwich House with his friends, thanks to a picture posted on Facebook (which he doesn’t use) by a girl (who he doesn’t know). Here’s the story…followed by a million dollar marketing question:

Some girl Amanda (a stranger to me as well) posted this picture on Facebook of Roast’s “Buffalo Organic Chicken Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese.”

A gent named Chris liked her photo. I’ve not seen or spoken to Chris in around five years, but we’re friends on Facebook. And that photo appeared in my news feed because Chris liked it. I knew the moment I saw it that my nephew would LOVE it…but I’m not friends with him on Facebook (because no self-respecting teenager uses Facebook). So I took a screen-shot of the post and texted it to him. He responded with all sorts of “OMGs” and drooled on his phone…and next thing you know…he’s gathering up friends to go eat there.

So basically, a friend of my friend of five years ago recommended a sandwich to my nephew and his friends. And none of us have ever spoken or discussed this in any way…and most of us are strangers.

Now… here’s the million dollar marketing question: What if Roast Sandwich House offered boring sandwiches?

NO ONE takes a picture of a plain ol’ turkey sammich. Why bother? But a Buffalo Organic Chicken Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese? That sucker earns you bragging rights on social media. So, yes…it might be harder on the operation to produce AMAZING sandwiches. And it might require more ingredients. And it’s probably much more work. But it made Amanda take a picture and share it with her friends, and that marketing power is priceless.

The point is…be interesting. Be different. Be unexpected. Be unique. Make the time…make the investment…dedicate the brainpower. If you do unusual things or offer unusual products, people will want to capture and share the story. And you’ll be rewarded with an exponential (and free) sales force…even if they’re not on Facebook.

Thank you, Amanda…whoever you are. And you’re welcome, Roast Sandwich House…as you’ll be seeing a lot of my nephew in the future.

Catch more flies. Make more money.

October 9, 2015

Filed under: Customer Service, Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Branding Strategies, Effective Communication — @ 9:02 am

A small restaurant in Denver, CO shows the world that when it comes to establishing your business philosophy, honey trumps vinegar hands down.

Picture this: You’re starving. You’re weary after a long day. You want to shed your troubles with good company, some laughs, delicious food, and certainly a cocktail or two. And as you step up to the host stand, your request for a table is answered with the single most annoying phrase on the planet:

“For a party of two, the wait time is currently around one hour and 45 minutes.”

If you’re the restaurant owner, what’s the fallout from this scenario?

The MOMENT people enter your restaurant, they’re hit with something negative.
Most people will just leave and go elsewhere.
While they may not actively HATE you, they feel disappointment and frustration.
If it happens more than once, many people will stop trying.

Most importantly, you lose the opportunity to form a relationship with people who are just ripe for the picking. They’ve sought you out and made the effort to land on your doorstep. And now you have to turn them away? This chronic problem of busy restaurants makes owners (and their marketing folks) weep.

But the smart, cheerful, positive thinkers who run Work & Class are shedding no tears over this issue.

On a recent visit to Denver, I was greeted at their host stand with that same annoying phrase. I glanced at the teeny-tiny, jam-packed bar and said to the two hostesses, “Rats. We are only in town tonight and were dying to try this place, but that’s just too long to wait. Oh well.”

The hostesses could have simply said, “Oh, sorry…come see us again on your next visit!” And had they done so, that would have been the end of my relationship with Work & Class.

Instead, they said, “hold on a minute.” And the two of them scanned the wait list, craned their necks to look at the locations of patrons at the bar, and whispered conspiratorially to each other. Then one of them leaned in and said to me, “See those people sitting at the far side of the bar? In around 20 minutes, I’m going to seat them. If you want to wait right here at the host stand, I’ll take you with me when I go to tell them their table is ready, and you can grab their seats and eat at the bar. And I could bring cocktails here to you while you’re waiting.”

Who could say no to that? Especially since they both had huge smiles on their faces and were clearly delighted to be making my friend and me happy. We said yes. A champagne and a whiskey appeared momentarily, and then the best part happened: we had a 20-minute front row seat to watch the magic of the Work & Class host stand in action. Here’s what goes down:

The hostesses are not robots…they display empathy for each and every person’s plight with the wait time, and they remained genuinely cheerful and positive despite delivering unwelcome news.
Because the bar area is so small, the restaurant formed a relationship with the bar across the street to funnel patrons there for 10% off their entire bar tab while awaiting their “table is ready” call.
If you choose to stay and wait, there’s a $4 “wait drink.” (brilliant move)
The hostesses never – not once – let anyone walk away after hearing the wait time without ALSO hearing another solution… bar across the street, try us earlier or later, join us on Wednesday, come back for dessert, sit at the communal table outside… and the solutions were never the same. They were based on what each particular diner needed/wanted.

The pounce-on-the-barstool strategy worked beautifully, and as the night unfolded, we learned that the hostesses were not alone in fostering the positive attitude that permeates Work & Class. Bartenders, bussers, waitstaff, owner… they are ALL just ridiculously happy people.

And the tone of the restaurant fosters that same attitude in the patrons. The “House Rules” are displayed on huge signs, and they’re written so adorably that you are inspired to follow them:

You can also read a more detailed version of the House Rules on their website.

Cost-conscious restaurant owners may read this and say, “Are you nuts? Why would I send people to my competitor, much less pay to have cards printed to send them there? Why would I discount a ‘wait drink’ when people who decide to wait would end up buying them at full price? I’ll never get my hostesses to be that personable, and besides that, if they have to spend extra time with each individual person at the host stand, I’ll require more hosts per shift.”

And to them I say… everyone who visits Work & Class is put in a good mood, even if they decide not to wait. And Work & Class is packed to the rafters every single night. You do the math.

So if you are visiting Denver, you must eat here. The delicious food is just a bonus…the infusion of joy is the real daily special.

Tell a story without a lecture.

June 23, 2015

Filed under: The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, Effective Communication — @ 8:08 am

A picture might be worth 1,000 words…but a few carefully chosen words can often paint an instantly compelling picture.

Take this ad, for instance…seen in the Uptown 1 subway station at 23rd Street:

With just those two sentences, the Lower East Side Film Festival creates this impression: “we’re not snooty like those other film festivals, you don’t need to know someone or be on the list, we don’t put on airs, we’re social and approachable, and you’ll make friends here.” And do I detect a whiff of snarky nonconformity here, sending out seductive signals to attract those with a similar perspective? Yes. I believe I do.

Here’s another, seen just last week on the bridge driving into Boston from I-93:

With just that simple phrasing, Ehrlich Pest Control says this: “we hire the best people, who have a natural instinct for ridding the world of pests, and regardless of whether they do it for paycheck or for the sheer enjoyment of it…you can be sure that if you want critters gone, our guys will not rest until that happens…oh, and by the way, we’re funny and we have social skills too.” (Note to the Gods of Standstill Traffic: thank you for enabling me to snap this photo.)

What lesson can be learned from this? Often, the indirect approach to communicating your personality has greater impact. Don’t lecture people on who you are and what you stand for… just prove it through the way you communicate with them.

As we tell Redpoint clients all the time… don’t say you’re cool, just BE cool. Explaining to people that you’re cool only weakens your case.

Here’s a parting bonus example that throws in a strategic photo: the housekeeping tip envelope at Jay Peak Resort. It’s kind of sweet, and yet you’d think twice before ever crossing Alice…a juxtaposition which aptly represents that resort and mountain.

Bravo Jay Peak. You tugged my little branding heart so hard that I gave Alice 20 bucks for a one-night stay. Or maybe I was just scared. Either way…it worked!

Eat more lamb, Larry Bird.

January 12, 2015

Filed under: Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Branding Strategies, Effective Communication, Uncategorized — @ 1:52 pm

We humans are an unruly lot…we are busy and distracted, and frankly, we just don’t like being told what to do. This means that informative and useful signage is often overlooked as white noise competing for our attention amidst a barrage of sensory input.

Savvy businesses know a fool-proof cure for this: unexpected humor that seduces people into reading the otherwise-boring sign. It’s a brilliant strategy. Not only do people read it…they get the message AND they are left with an impression of a business, company, or brand with a groovy personality. Behold:

Bennett’s Store in coastal Maine could say “No Parking” or it could say…

Wood ‘n Hart Farm at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market in Nova Scotia could say “Lamb for Sale” or it could say…

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority in NYC could say “Don’t Drink and Drive” or it could say…

An airport in Fort Lauderdale could say “Pardon Our Construction” or it could say…

The Weylin B. Seymour’s glamorous event space in Brooklyn could say “Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom” or it could say…

These signs have stopped countless people in their tracks…and quite possibly prompted them to snap a picture just like I did. Mission accomplished.

So, the next time you have something important – but boring – to communicate, take a few minutes to answer the question: how can I make this message interesting?

Need more inspiration? See what the Inn at Manchester did with their housekeeping tip envelope. Seriously…if they can make THAT fun, anything’s possible.

How one hotel housekeeper won my brand allegiance…and my heart.

December 18, 2014

Filed under: Customer Service, Observations From the Field — @ 12:37 pm

Tagged: Delta Halifax, guest service, Halifax, hotel housekeeper, housekeeper

She stopped me in my tracks. And prompted me to track her down on property to give her a hug.

That’s no small feat for a hotel housekeeper to achieve. As a hospitality consultant at Redpoint who trains hotels on marketing and guest service, I’ve stayed in more than 500 hotels around the world…from the barest of guest houses to the most luxurious of resorts. Some even came with my own personal butler. Many promise to deliver anticipatory service. And yet none of them…not a single one…captured my heart (and my future business) the way the Delta Halifax in Nova Scotia did, despite all of them having the exact same opportunity to do so.

And it’s all thanks to Sandra the housekeeper. Here’s how it went down.

A decades-old neck injury makes it most comfortable for me to sleep with a pillow that has laughingly been referred to as “a few sheets of loose leaf paper stuffed inside a pillowcase.” I no longer travel with it (preserving its precious life span), so when I sleep at hotels, I remove the big fluffy pillow from the pillowcase and replace it with a folded-once towel from the bathroom. I repeat this procedure every night of my stay because the housekeeper always restores the bed to its default state and the towel to the bathroom.

Imagine that habit solidifying into autopilot after around 500 times of having to repeat it. And then imagine walking into the room after two nights of a four-night stay and seeing this on the bed:

That note (highlighted in the photo so you couldn’t miss it) was handwritten on the back of a water glass coaster and resting on top of a precision crafted bath-towel-pillow. Thickness? Perfect. Edges? Neatly tucked. Here’s what the note said:

After giggling with pleasure for a few minutes – who doesn’t love a good surprise? – I wrote Sandra a heartfelt thank-you note and left it on the bathroom sink for her to find the next morning. And then the next day, I returned to my room to find this:

That did it. I left my room immediately – coat on and all – and went to find Sandra. We met, we hugged, we laughed. And then I went to find Sandra’s boss to ask how on earth they train their staff to be so observant and thoughtful. His answer was identical to the one every other hotelier delivers when asked about their approach to guest service: “we look to hire those kinds of people, and then as part of our training program, we encourage them to use their judgment to make a guest’s stay more personal and memorable.” If I only had a nickel for every time a hotelier said those exact words to me.

The difference here is…the Delta Halifax has actually achieved it. Sandra – while the hero of this story – was not alone. The front desk person checking me in recognized that I was from the U.S. and whipped out a city map unasked, just to orient me with my surroundings. The breakfast server brought me a to-go cup with fresh coffee – also unasked – after a chat revealed that I was running late and didn’t have time for the extra cup I wanted to savor at the table. The maintenance guy stopped what he was doing to help me carry a load of awkward packages to my door. And on, and on, and on.

Hoteliers, take note: the Delta Halifax could do with a renovation. The rooms are dated, corridors need a refresh, and I’m sure the GM and Director of Ops walk through that hotel every day and dream of what they’d do with a nice fat capital expense budget. And to them, I say: It didn’t matter one whit to me. The place was spotless, the shower heat and pressure was just fine, and never in my life have I felt so cared for by a bunch of strangers. You could leave the rooms as-is for the next twenty years and I would stay there every single time I come to Halifax…no matter how many cool hotels spring up or renovate around you. The moral of the story? Truly amazing service wins brand loyalty, despite any other real or perceived shortcomings.

Delta Hotels and Resorts…I sure hope that ALL your properties are as gracious and extraordinary as the Delta Halifax. Because I now plan to stay in a Delta property whenever I can while in Canada, and thanks to Sandra and the whole crew at Halifax, you’ve got some VERY big shoes – and pillowcases – to fill.