Halcyon Cherry Creek, Jimena Peck, Photographer.

You wont prosper in providing exceptional customer care if youre constantly second-guessing yourself by asking, “But will this scale?” each time you think about a new and thoughtful gesture for a customer or guest, as I drill into my customers every opportunity I get (Im a consumer service enhancement trainer, expert, and elearning designer.).

Most guests coming to Halcyon arent looking for that kind of workout in their bedrooms, it turns out, though the ones who are actually happy by the gesture.

” Well, you might get a couple of how was your trip in today remarks here,” admitted Delcamp, “a minimum of on an off day, but I feel super-confident youll never ever get 4. We try to know something about each of our showing up visitors as quickly as possible, and to find out more about them as the day advances so that every exchange and interaction is more significant than the last, and hopefully were hardly ever as deadening and robotic in our exchanges as what you simply described. Our approach, I do hear a lot, is both valued by our guests and makes the days at work a lot more fun for our workers too.”.

Micah Solomon, micah@micahsolomon.com.

Halcyons front guest check-in counter, which is likewise the back of the counter in Local Jones, the … [+] bustling hotel dining establishment.

Halcyon, a luxuriously unstuffy hotel in the prospering Cherry Creek district of Denver, has constructed its spectacularly congenial guest experience by never ever, it appears to me, too soon asking itself that service-killing question, “But will this scale?”.

Part of it depends on training and re-training those incipient service super stars to their complete potential.

Most especially, Halcyon hasnt put a ceiling on its level of service for worry of not being able to scale the notably gracious, never-rushed, conversational consumer service their employees indulge you in from the minute you stroll in. Part of Halcyons capability to offer such top quality, trendy service comes from enough staffing, which requires financial commitment and logistical knowledge, both of which Halcyons mom company, Makeready, which runs 5 extra hotels, each with its own distinct branding and vibe, is known for. At Halcyon, theres a palpable sensation that theyre specialists who understand what theyre doing but are open to crafting the experience that you, the visitor, choose to have, not the one they think you should have. When I pointed out that a well-meaning Covid improvisation– a temporary Purell and hand-wipe station– was obstructing wheelchair access to the lobby elevator button, and advised her that elevators are mission-critical for guests in wheelchairs who require to be able to pull up in their wheelchairs and push the button to call an elevator on their own, Megan Seymore, Halcyons highly engaged (and engaging) front desk manager told me, “thats completely right; Ill move it now” and took care of it on the lobby flooring before my eyes; quickly recognizing that the very same problem existed on other floorings of the hotel as well, she had it solved there as well by the next day.

The outcome, as Halcyons GM Jason Delcamp, whos been with the business for the last 5 of a varied and successful twenty year hospitality profession, is that “in location of the often rote and even routine interactions associated with getting a guest signed in, theres now an opportunity for the conversational people we employ here to engage visitors, discover out what brings them to Denver and Cherry Creek, and begin believing about what will make their stay with us as great as possible.”.

Guestroom with Peloton by bed at Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek (Denver).

Jason Delcamp, General Manager, Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek (Denver).

As a visitor, I valued this a lot. “Ill remain at other, even otherwise-great hotels,” I informed Delcamp, “and in the couple of minutes in between when I bring up and when I get to my room, I could be asked perhaps four times, How was your journey in today? That didnt happen here. Everyone at Halcyon has actually had something various, something genuine-sounding and a minimum of rather Micah-related, to talk with me about. You know what I indicate?”.

At Halcyon, theres a palpable sensation that theyre specialists who understand what theyre doing however are open to crafting the experience that you, the visitor, choose to have, not the one they think you should have. This openness extends as well to being fast to remedy errors. When I pointed out that a well-meaning Covid improvisation– a momentary Purell and hand-wipe station– was blocking wheelchair access to the lobby elevator button, and reminded her that elevators are mission-critical for visitors in wheelchairs who need to be able to bring up in their wheelchairs and press the button to call an elevator by themselves, Megan Seymore, Halcyons extremely engaged (and engaging) front desk manager informed me, “thats absolutely ideal; Ill move it now” and took care of it on the lobby floor prior to my eyes; quickly recognizing that the very same problem existed on other floors of the hotel as well, she had it fixed there as well by the next day.

You have to plunge in feet first for the advantage of the customer in front of you now and find out later if you wish to offer comparable service at scale for additional clients– and, if so, if theres a more effective, structured way of doing so. (And if there isnt, whether or not its worth offering the service at scale however, even in the initial non-streamlined method.).

Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek (Denver).

Delcamp, the GM, associates this responsiveness to suggestions, this prevailing culture where “a complaint is a present and a positive tip even more so” to the “always improving methods weve gained from our relationship with the Makeready mothership. Makeready is a special company thats taught everyone to have a frame of mind that I d describe as, hey, lets ensure that were thinking every day about the little things along with the huge things. And who much better to inform us where we could do much better on both big and little problems than individuals who see the effect of both, our visitors as well, of course, as our workers?”.

Danielle Lirette, photographer, for Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek (Denver).

( And the ones who arent fans of the bed/bike juxtaposition are at least amused., she shot a text right back, “Ambitious, however a little judgy, no?).

Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek (Denver), Jimena Peck, Photographer.

Most notably, Halcyon hasnt put a ceiling on its level of service for fear of not being able to scale the significantly thoughtful, never-rushed, conversational consumer service their staff members indulge you in from the minute you stroll in. Part of Halcyons capability to offer such premium, trendy service comes from sufficient staffing, which needs monetary dedication and logistical knowledge, both of which Halcyons mom organization, Makeready, which operates five additional hotels, each with its own distinct branding and ambiance, is understood for. Part of it depends upon working with (or, the term I prefer, “selecting”) the right group of workers. (Resource for readers: For a copy of my standards for employing– picking– future customer service superstars, email me at micah@micahsolomon.com and Ill hook you up.).

How about putting a $2000+ Peloton stationary bicycle by the bed in a number of their guestrooms? When somebody on their staff suggested doing this (in reaction to visitor feedback during Covid), Halcyon went for it. Would this suggest that Halcyon would need to scale as much as putting Pelotons in each of its 154 hotel bedrooms? This, thus numerous concerns asked by the timid, would turn out to be a non-issue. The majority of guests coming to Halcyon arent trying to find that type of workout in their bed rooms, it turns out, though the ones who are truly thrilled by the gesture.

And part of it, distinctively, comes from the thought that has actually entered into developing the interior areas of Halcyon. Consider the front check-in desk: its actually the other side of the marble kitchen counter of the hotels always hopping Local Jones dining establishment (likewise run by Makeready).