I recently returned from a business trip to New York City for a marketing agency conference, and was blown away by something I always have taken for granted – the doorman at my hotel.  My experience reaffirmed for me that the doorman is THE most important position in hotel marketing. Sure, he’s dependable and helpful, always ready to grab me a cab or direct me to the nearest Starbucks.  But this guy was phenomenal – and here’s why:

He remembered my name.

The hotel I stayed at was The London NYC, a recently renovated hotel that was formerly the Rhiga Royal Hotel – I used to love staying at the Rhiga because it’s well located in Midtown Manhattan, offers all-suites, and was my virgin hotel experience in New York when I visited NY for our client Tiffany & Co. more than 18 years ago.  Now it’s updated and even more cool and trendy.

And here’s the kicker – I haven’t stayed there for more than 9 or 10 years.  And Michael the doorman remembered me.  AND CALLED ME BY NAME. Impressive customer service.

Stunned by his feat of memory, I realized at that moment how critically important that job really is – and how much the doorman can make a difference in a guest’s hotel stay. In today’s world of instantaneous communication, the roles of customer service and marketing have become synonymous.

What if we all had this same attention to detail, this same freakish memory?  If every business had a “doorman”, how would that man or woman represent the front door of your company? We would all do well to think about this approach a bit more seriously.

One thing I can tell you about this experience. I am instantly made to feel like the London NYC Hotel is the only place I care to stay in New York City.  I will be back there soon.  And Michael the doorman will remember me.