Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

This is Why Delta

I'm not about to say there haven't been a handful of annoying missteps over the years...but I'm about as loyal of a Delta guy as you'll find. And, this story from Wall Street Journal writer Jared Diamond pretty much sums up virtually every interaction I've ever had with a Delta employee:

“I was attempting to fly from New York to Cleveland last April. The weather had other plans.

“So when a devastating rain and wind storm canceled my trip on American Airlines, I quickly rebooked on Delta. It was the best decision I could've made. I didn’t have lounge access with American, but I spent the next six hours in the (Delta) Sky Club bouncing from canceled flight to canceled flight. With every flight to Cleveland sold out for days, I begrudgingly accepted a flight to Columbus the next afternoon, with plans to drive the rest of the way.

“Defeated and exhausted, I started to trudge out of the lounge around midnight. That's when a Delta employee asked for my boarding pass. ‘Where are you headed?’ she asked. ‘Columbus,’ I said. ‘No, where are you supposed to be going?’ she responded.

“Five minutes later, this agent produced for me a new boarding pass to Cleveland for a flight the next morning. I don't know what she did or how it happened—but I beat my colleague there by nearly an entire day.”

They all fly the same equipment. It's Delta's people that make all the difference.

And here's to another year flying together.

If I Only Could

Received an e-mail from one of the hotel brands with which I maintain a level of loyalty status. It informed me that I could reach Diamond status if I stayed 48 more nights this year.

Given my travel schedule, that's not an unrealistic goal...except there are only 20 nights left this year.

Thanks for the chuckle this morning...but someone needs to readjust their e-mail algorithms.

 

Best Sound Ever

Check me off as a guy that doesn't automatically jack the bass when I'm in the car or listening to my old school components in the living room. I've always been a treble guy. Quicksilver, GTR, Asia, Hooters etc., send my audiophile sensors into overdrive. I want to hear every note...I can imagine the bass.

Which is why I'm such a fan of Status Audio. Their Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds are, hands down, the best buds I have ever experienced. The absolute crispest sound; amazing response. And, the Status customer service is beyond first rate.

You know those videos when people hear a song for the first time? Yeah...it's kinda like that when you pop these in.

Looking for that last minute gift? Or, want to treat yourself? I love these more than any headphone or bud I've ever heard.

Your call...but you know I love my music. And, I'd never steer you wrong.

The Challenge to Air Law 19

For long time readers of this blog, you'll remember (fondly, we hope) our Air Laws series. For new recruits, Air Laws was our attempt to bring a modicum of civility back to air travel. To look back on the first 22 Air Laws, start here.

Air Law 19 attempted to dissuade self-absorbed passengers from bringing stinky food on the plane with the penalty being reseated next to the rear lav for the duration of the flight. Seemed fair enough at the time...but our airline of choice appears prepared to challenge Air Law 19 in the weeks and months ahead.

Delta recently announced plans to begin serving Shake Shack burgers in First Class on its flights out of Boston next month. Far from stinky, these burgers are actually crave worthy...but, I smell a different kind of problem brewing. As SmartBrief's Sean McMahon wrote in today's column: "Sooooo...the entire plane will be able to smell the burgers, but they will only be available to passengers sitting in First Class. Hmmm...what could possibly go wrong?"

Time will tell...but we might have to retire Air Law 19 and focus on others that airlines aren't intentionally ignoring.

Sigh...

Next Up on DMOU: Welcome Centers are Dead

We still believe in Visitor Centers, even though Visit Fort Colins CEO Cynthia Eichler recently wrote a CDME paper entitled, Visitor Centers are Dead. Why then did she just open a Visitors Center in Downtown Fort Collins? Because it’s not simply a Visitor Center. Join us for a fascinating conversation on the creation of a Community Hub, the partnerships that came together to make it happen and how the Center is blowing away initial estimates and expectations. And, we spend one of our questions on the innovative online retail hub they created during the Plague that helped save several Fort Collins businesses.

Next on DMOU > Travel Accessibility for DMOs

On this edition of DMOU, we settle in with John Sage of Sage Inclusion. We met John at the Destinations International Annual Convention and were fascinated by his take on what destinations and DMOs get right (and wrong) about travelers with disabilities, a market cohort that is only growing with an aging population. In our conversation, John demystifies ways that DMOs can play a pivotal role in making their destinations more accessible. Join us.

New on DMOU: Sonya Nash

On this edition of DMOU, travel with us to Shipshewana, Indiana…where roughly half the population (and a big part of the destination’s allure) aren’t online. Sonya Nash shares insights into her community’s Amish Culture and how her DMO has developed a home-grown, customized customer service program that meets the unique needs of her community, from hospitality to pharmacies, that graduated their first class earlier this year. Plus, a Bonus Round Question that shines a light on Sonya’s record-breaking turn at a McDonald’s Drive-thru. Join us.

Managing Expectations

I know that atmospheric conditions can change on a dime...but so should the National Weather Service. The other night, I checked the forecast for the next day, which breathlessly predicted "Abundant Sunshine." I planned my day accordingly. 

It was cloudy much of the morning, breaking through to hazy sun through the afternoon. 

There's a rule in customer service that one should aspire to under promise and over deliver. I'm not a meteorologist...but, I'd suggest sticking with "mostly" or "partly" sunny. I certainly appreciated the use of bigger words like "abundant." But, if you can't guarantee it?

Just saying...

Where Design and Execution Collide

So...there are those hotel brands that provide free breakfast. And there are those that charge. Some of the ones that charge offer buffets; others offer servers to take your order and deliver your food. And then there are those trendy bars adjacent to the lobby that serve made to order breakfasts and, in some cases, lunch and dinner.

I can't imagine that the designers of this week's hotel ever imagined the scenario I witnessed yesterday...or if it never dawned on them what could go wrong, I can't believe a legacy brand would have ever hired them.

It's dinner. I've already exhausted the restaurants this week within a 10 minute drive that have at least 4-star Yelp reviews that look remotely aligned to my tastes. It's starting to rain. Screw it, I'll just order a hamburger here in the lobby and watch SportsCenter.

The person behind the bar takes my order, turns to retrieve a frozen patty from refrigeration, slides it into a fast broiler and waits for the timer. Hey? I'm standing here. I can see what you're doing.

When the timer chimes, she takes it out, lays a slice of processed cheese on one side of a bun and puts the halves in the broiler to get a slight char on the bun (a nice touch, to be sure). She assembles the pieces and then looks at me and says, I'll get your fries...and goes back into the kitchen. Five minutes later, she returns and delivers my now cold burger with my now steaming fries. 

As always, I'm gonna side with her...and challenge management with horrible training. Put the fries in first and unfreeze the burger second was clearly never communicated to her. But, therein lies a deeper issue. If you have a working kitchen behind the wall, why would you put on display that you are serving frozen meat by cooking it in front of a guest in the first place?

C'mon, Marriott. Shouldn't we be able to expect more from you?

Migrants as the Solution

I get that news outlets believe they need to require readers to pay for content...but I'd love to see the abandonment rate when we all say no to a six-month subscription just to read one story. I'm guessing it's significant, but media seems not sophisticated enough to realize that sponsors will pick up the bill to get in front of us. Like YouTube.

So, I only have a short glimpse of a story from the LA Times (y'all really should be smarter) that suggests that hotels experiencing striking workers have turned to homeless migrants, who are all too eager to work, to fill those jobs.

The story further suggests that the DA is investigating that these hotels are underpaying these workers and are in violation of child labor laws.

So much to unpack here without the full story...but striking workers should expect scabs to slide into their positions. It's the downside of a strike; you can be replaced (especially in hospitality).

If hotels are under-compensating these workers, there isn't enough shame to be heaped upon them.

That homeless individuals are given a shot at a job that could elevate them to renting an apartment; how cool is that?

At the end of the day...hospitality must begin to treat and compensate their employees better. Strikes happen when work conditions reach the breaking point. That the hospitality workforce hasn't come back to pre COVID levels should say a lot. 

This is a sector that needs and deserves more respect.