Do you have a favorite place to patronize - a restaurant, coffee shop, retail shop, gas station, perhaps a grocery store or dry cleaners - because of the way you are treated?

My husband has a colleague whose work responsibilities require him to stay out of town on a fairly regular basis, and he typically stays at the same hotel on his trips; reasonably enough, he has developed a friendly relationship with the staff.

Recently, his work required him to travel to another city, one where his preferred hotel was not represented. When he mentioned his dilemma to a staff member, she didn't say, "Oh, that's too bad". What she did was find him a place to stay. That's right -- she searched out the options for her guest and made arrangements for him to stay at a competitor's establishment, one where she knew he would be comfortable and well served. That's going above and beyond for a customer.

But that is not all. During his last stay, my husband's colleague had accidentally left a shirt behind at "his" hotel. He figured they would have it for him at his next visit, and they did ... freshly cleaned, pressed and wrapped, ready to go.

That's not customer service, that's taking care of your guest.