I’ve been traveling the globe on business for more than 20 years. Occasionally, I will inadvertently leave something behind in a hotel room. Who hasn’t, right? And I’m almost always amazed—and annoyed—by the work that’s required on my part to get my item back.
Real World Story:
As a “Gold” member of the Hilton loyalty reward program, I have certain expectations about customer service. I expect to be greeted professionally. I expect to be treated as a loyal member. I expect a free upgrade to a nicer room when one is available. I expect a bottle of water when I arrive. However, most of the time, I get less than 50% of my expectations met. So I guess that it’s asking too much for a hotel to make a little effort to return a “lost” item to a customer.
Last week, I stayed two nights at one of my usual hotels. Disappointedly, I was not greeted professionally. In fact, the front desk ladies 
looked and behaved less than interested in helping me. They did NOT acknowledge me as a loyalty program member. They could barely direct me to the elevators as they rushed me through.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised with their lack of excitement when I called after my visit about my lost item. The woman who answered the phone said she would have to check with housekeeping to see if they found my lost item. Then she asked for my credit card number so I could pay to have it shipped back. When I asked how much the shipping charge would be, she said she didn’t know. I replied, “Well, can you find out for me? It doesn’t make any sense that I pay $50 to have a portable cosmetic mirror shipped back to me.” She retorted, “We’ve never had to find out the price before.” Growing more and more frustrated, I asked, “Well, there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” She mumbled something like “I guess I can ask the shipper. I’ll call you back.” My expectation was that she would call back the same day. In reality, she called me FIVE days later. In the meantime, I had given up hope on ever getting my item returned, so I had already ordered another mirror.
Later that week, I played voicemail phone tag with the General Manager regarding my recent experience. In the end, all I got was excuse after excuse. I was left feeling less than interested in ever returning to this hotel that I’ve been patronizing for many, many years.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- For customers who are frequent visitors, loyalty members, or elite patrons, look for ways to do “something extra,” especially when an opportunity presents itself. When you take the extra step, you create positive and memorable stories for your customers—customers who remember you, tell others about you and your business, and who want to return for many more positive experiences!
- Create company-wide policies that help all your employees fulfill strategy 1 as explained above. For example, if you work at a hotel, put in place a policy that housekeeping staff immediately inform the front desk about any “lost” items found. The front desk staff then calls, emails, or texts the information to the customer. Set aside a budget to pay to return lost items to VIP customers. Trust me, this small investment will definitely pay off in the long run!
- Instill in your front desk staff that every contact with each customer matters. Regardless of how your staff think or feel at any given moment, treat each customer with friendliness and courtesy at every contact point – whether face-to-face, on the phone, or online.
Remember: All customers want to feel special and important. And customers whom you have identified as loyalty members or elite program customers will certainly have more expectations. By doing something extra—like proactively returning a lost item—you are creating even more loyal customers who gladly want to continue to spend their money with you.
What are YOUR thoughts on “lost and found” policies? Please share in the comments section below.