Sometimes when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade!
Several weeks ago, we ran into a major plumbing problem in our condo. We discovered a leak and within the hour were told we needed to move out of our place for at least a couple of days. Immediately. My son was in school and had a week packed with after school activities. So, without thinking too much about how distracting and frustrating this was, I started gathering the necessities, packed for 3 days and was out the door to a meeting in West Hollywood. Thankfully we had renters insurance and were allotted a certain amount to cover hotel and meals. My fiance called several hotels and got various rates – some with parking, some without, some suites with mini kitchens. Then he said, why don’t you try and find a nice place.
Oh, did I mention that it was my birthday?
We thought, maybe we could check into a nice hotel for one night to celebrate and then move to another more affordable one for the rest of the week.
So I called The Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey. What? It’s near my son’s school and our home and it was a special day after all.
Dana Torres, the reservation manager picked up. I explained the situation and she put me on hold. Within a few minutes, she came back and said, okay, here’s what I can do for you…..
She hooked us up with a junior suite facing the harbor, complementary valet parking and provided complementary breakfast for the length of our stay. As she described what she could do, my mind drifted. There was no way we could afford all this. Then she gave me the rate. Excuse me? And did you say parking was complementary? Yes, she said, very matter of fact. I’d like to help you and your family out. Unbelievable.
We picked up my son and told him we were staying in a hotel for a bit. Sweet! Did you bring my bathing suit? ! Of course the plumbing didn’t phase him at all. He figured summer vacation started early.
By the time we checked in, it was 7pm. The bellman took our bags to the room and we went straight to Jer-Ne, an award winning restaurant at the hotel. We had a great meal and wine and for dessert, my son and fiance surprised me with a cake from Jamaica’s Cakes and presents! A fancy summer hat and a sun dress. Loved them both! Apparently my son tried on several hats at the store before he settled on the white wide brim hat. He has style! We laughed and watched the Lakers game and took lots of pictures (the disposable camera complements of the hotel). It was easy to forget the state of disarray our home was in.
The hotel room was amazing. We woke up to a picture window of a sea of boats. Breakfast started with a strawberry banana smoothie served in shot glasses. The Belgian Waffles are the best on the menu. They serve them with vanilla whipped cream. And the hotel staff went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed.
Needless to say we stayed for 4 days.
I was at a conference earlier this week and guest speaker Peter Shankman, PR and social media expert, said that we as a society expect to be treated badly. One level above that and people will remember you. Treat them well and they will become raving fans. Well, I am a raving fan of this Ritz property. They came through on price, experience and comfort. They didn’t just deliver…they over delivered. It’s refreshing…like lemonade!
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