Customer service or marketing gimmick?

Holiday Inn announced a new customer service offering last week.  It's taken the traditional turn down service and ramped it up a bit. 

The hotel chain's new bed warming service consists of a staff member putting on a one-piece flannel sleeper suit and crawling into your bed...warming it for you with their body heat.

Yup...hotel employee, footie PJs and your bed. (read about the official announcement here)

I'm all for customer service excellence and believe that stellar employees are the ones who are willing to go way above and beyond for their customers...but this one seems a bit extreme.

I think the real question is -- is this a legitimate attempt at creating an amazing, buzz-worthy customer experience or is it a brilliant marketing gimmick.

When was the last time you read an article that coupled the phrases "Holiday Inn" and "customer service?"  Suddenly, they're all over the news (see a sampling of the articles below) and everyone is talking about how Holiday Inn is focusing on pampering their customers.

Pretty smart, either way.  If it's an attempt at extreme customer service -- they've clearly demonstrated that they're willing to go to new heights.  If it's about the media splash and marketing buzz -- they got it.

Either way -- it worked because they didn't go halfway.  They had the courage to go way out on a limb.  This is clearly a "be bold or go home" strategy. If they had begun offering a bed warming service that employed electric blankets or hot water bottles...do you think anyone would have even noticed?

What are you doing in your marketing that's as boring as an electric blanket?  Could you (metaphorically of course) put on your feetie pjs and shake things up?

~ Drew

Related articles by Zemanta

• Holiday Inn to Offer Human Bed Warmers (treehugger.com)
• Hotel to offer a human bed warming service (douglasgreen.wordpress.com)
• Cold sheets? Hire a human 'bed-warmer' (msnbc.msn.com)

Comments

[Todd Razor]

According to one source, who will remain anonymous, "this may be the worst idea I've ever heard of."

[Kevin Pokorny]

A human bed warmer? Not for me. I don't know about you, Drew, but I don't want anyone getting into my hotel bed but me. I don't find the ad appealing at all. Maybe in Great Britain, but not in the U.S. where we value cleanliness next to Godliness. It's bad enough to know that some hotels don't change bed sheets between users in order to cut down on cleaning costs. I think its a gimmick that will make customers stay away.

[Amy]

If they actually did that that would creep me out!

[Drew McLellan]

I agree with all of you -- I think it's a gimmick. I can't imagine anyone wanting a hotel employee all decked out in jammies rolling around in their bed to warm it up.

I don't care how attractive the employee is!

Drew