For our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife and I managed to pull together a bunch of points off different travel programs and get a deeply discounted stay at a five-star resort in Mexico, the nicest we have ever experienced.
As beautiful as the facility was, what made it truly special was the staff. They took customer service to another level: kind, courteous, friendly and genuinely happy. They wanted every detail of our stay to be perfect.
We were uncomfortable at first with how attentive they were: placing the napkin in our laps, moving our chair on the beach, providing turndown service in the evenings. At the property’s nicest restaurant, we were stunned by our waiter’s British accent. He had lived in London for eight years to attend school and study hospitality. They take their jobs seriously, and the excellence they have attained was inspiring.
I thought of the Queen of Sheba being deeply impressed by her visit to Jerusalem. The account in 1 Kings 10 shows how she was struck by Solomon’s wisdom, by the royal standard of nutritious food, the order of officers and distinguished persons seated at the king’s table, the tremendous service and immaculate uniforms of his waitstaff. You can imagine the symphony of their movement.
The Inn at Little Washington, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Virginia, hosts many dignitaries. Years ago, the head chef hired the artistic director of the Washington Ballet to lead a dance and movement class for his staff. “You’re either adding or detracting every time you walk into a room,” he said. “There’s no such thing as neutral. I want them to be conscious of their own importance. One person can destroy the experience, just like in a movie where an actor is miscast or in a ballet when someone is not in sync” (Washingtonian, Sept. 26, 2012). Fast Company wrote that the Inn’s staff “discreetly tries to detect and record the emotional state of each person in a dinner party on a scale of 1 to 10. Their goal is to get you up to at least a ‘9’ before the long drive home. This simple rating system allows the staff at The Inn to make very subtle adjustments to service throughout the night—so that even someone who arrives for dinner in a serious funk will likely wind up walking on country air before the night is through.”
Surely that is the kind of standard Solomon set. When the queen saw it, she was overwhelmed! This was a queen—a hard woman to impress. She said that as glowing as Solomon’s reputation was, it wasn’t half as superb as the reality. “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom,” she gushed (1 Kings 10:8). These men were genuinely happy to be part of something so special. And this experience actually turned this queen to God! (verse 9).
At the Trumpet’s offices, we often host guests. We sponsor a concert series of the highest quality. We train our staff to exhibit kindness and attentiveness, to treat every visitor as special, and to strive to create “Queen of Sheba” experiences. Our guests often make comments like this by one recent concertgoer: “There are other places with gorgeous chandeliers and magnificent windows and fountains, but Armstrong Auditorium overflows with virtuosity and beauty that goes beyond the visual.”
These efforts are about more than merely successfully working a concert. They build a mindset of caring about people, paying attention, trying to serve them and lift them up. That is the blessed, happy way of life (Acts 20:35).
Staying at that resort in Mexico taught me a few things. You might consider these anytime you host. Really, they would benefit all our relationships.
Make every person feel important. The staff there always greets you when you walk past. At the coffee shop the first morning, my wife ordered a coffee. The next day, the barista recognized her and remembered her order and her name. Don’t just see a customer or workmate: See a person, and care about that person.
Be attentive for ways to serve. At an outdoor restaurant, I set my sweater under the table. When we got up after the meal, a waiter who wasn’t even serving us picked it up and handed it to me. That takes vigilance and foresight.
Care about the details. Upon our return from a walk in the local town, the gatekeeper would offer us a cold bottle of water and a cool washcloth for our faces. Even little things contribute to a perfect experience.
Be genuinely happy to serve. Sincere graciousness is wonderful. Travel-rating agencies expect hotels to make the customer experience outstanding, even perfect. They do so because that way works. It is, essentially, the give way. Whether they realize it or not, on a human level, they are pointing to the unselfish love of God.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6; New International Version). These are qualities we should strive for in our relationships. That is a high standard of conduct. It is, in fact a perfect standard, a five-star standard.