The phone call I didn't expect – and still remember

I have stayed in hundreds of hotels over the years.

Some have beautiful rooms. Others have impressive pools or stylish lobbies. But every now and then, a hotel does something so unexpectedly thoughtful that you remember it long after you've forgotten what the room looked like.

That happened to me in Portugal.

It was on a 3 week business trip, and I booked a small hotel through Booking.com only a few hours before arriving. I was driving through the Duoro valley with few restaurants nearby, and I hadn't really thought about dinner. I assumed I would figure something out after check-in.

Then my phone rang.

It was the hotel's kitchen.

The chef introduced himself, welcomed me to the hotel and explained that they had noticed my late booking. Since there were not many dining options in the area, he simply wanted to ask whether I would like to join them for dinner that evening.

He briefly described the menu.

Fresh local fish.

Traditional Portuguese dishes. Olives, cheese etc. 

Regional wines and Port of course. 

Homemade desserts.

It wasn't a sales pitch.

It felt like someone genuinely wanted to make sure my evening started well.

Of course I said yes.

That dinner became one of the highlights of my stay. Not only because the food was excellent, but because I never had to experience that slightly stressful moment many travellers know all too well:

Arriving at an unfamiliar hotel... checking in... discovering the restaurant closed five minutes ago... then getting back in the car to search for somewhere else to eat.

Instead, everything was taken care of before I even arrived.

A small phone call with a surprisingly big impact

Hotels already know a great deal about arriving guests.

Booking platforms usually provide arrival times, phone numbers and email addresses. Many guests even book on the same day.

So why not use that information?

Imagine automatically identifying guests who book late in the day and sending a short, personal message:

"Welcome! We noticed you'll be arriving this evening. Our restaurant is serving local specialities until 9 pm. We'd be delighted to reserve a table for you if you'd like."

Or simply making a friendly phone call, just as the Portuguese hotel did for me.

The guest feels welcomed.

The hotel sells another dinner.

The kitchen can prepare more accurately.

And the guest's first memory becomes a positive one instead of a disappointment.

Hospitality begins before check-in

We often think hospitality starts at reception.

Sometimes it starts with a simple phone call.

That Portuguese hotel probably earned a little extra revenue from my dinner.

But more importantly, they earned something much more valuable:

They created a story I still tell years later.

Sometimes the best guest experiences don't require expensive renovations, new facilities or complicated technology.

Sometimes they only require someone asking one simple question at exactly the right moment:

"Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?"