Details tell a story

Long before you leave the front desk of Hotel Burnham in Chicago, you know you're going to have a different experience. It's not anything big, in fact….it's something small.

The key.

Today, every hotel from a Motel 6 to a Four Seasons, uses a magnetic key card. Some are prettier than others but they all use the same technology. It's what we expect.

At Hotel Burnham, they hand you a brass key.

Is it some crazy stunt? Is there incredible value in the key? No.

The value comes in the surprise. In being different. The subtle message is "if they pay attention to that level of detail — they really care. They've put a lot of effort into this." It's something their guests talk about. Organic word of mouth.

This week, pay attention to all of the things you do because that's how your industry does them. Or it's how you've always done it. What would happen if you changed that up?

What's one little change you could make that would signal to your customers that you've gone to a different level of caring about their experience?