I made reservations to stay at the historic Sun Valley Lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho.  If you haven't stayed there, you need to go ASAP.  This place is heavenly.  It's old.  It's quaint.  It's very romantic.  And most of all, there's plenty to do and see no matter what time of year you go.  Do yourself (and your spouse) a favor and make reservations at the lodge (not the Inn, or somewhere else.)  It will be a vacation you'll never forget.

But that's not why we're talking today.  I made my reservation online the other day.  I immediately got a computer-generated letter of confirmation.  Then, awhile later, I got another email, with a kind of brochure of all the things there are to do there, asking if there was anything special I needed during my stay.  Then, that evening I got a call from the reservation desk in the lodge confirming everything and asking again if there was anything special they could do for me during my stay.  I was given a direct line to call if I thought of anything and thanked profusely for my reservation.

Now, this is not a hotel that's hurting for customers.  They are almost always full and you have to make your reservations well in advance.  They weren't doing this because times are hard and business was slow.  They were treating me this way because that's how they do business at Sun Valley.  And if you think the service is good over the phone, wait until you get there!  These people are accustomed to dealing with movie stars, captains of industry, heads of state, and the like — and they know how to take care of you.

It's all about keeping the customer.  I could have gone anywhere for my anniversary.  I chose Sun Valley because I know everything will be perfect.  There is no need to worry that things might not go exactly as planned.  That peace of mind and calm assurance that everything will be perfect is worth two or three times what I paid.  At the end of the day, it's all about the customer.  Don't you wish everyone worked that way?