Good Customer Service. We'll take it.

So when you’re in a relationship you rub off on each other. Things that you do, you notice that your significant other is doing and vice versa. And it’s always interesting to see.

So let’s take a trip and go back, back into time.

I majored in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management and Business Management in college. I loved my major. I took a wine tasting class and went on a class trip to Aruba (it was on this trip that I fell in love with Colleen). We had our own restaurant that was opened to the public and each week we had a different job. One week, I was the front of the house manager, another week the back of the house management, chef, waitress, etc. I don’t know about you but I highly doubt you had a wine tasting class and a trip to Aruba for your major. OK, Faith enough of the bragging and get to the point.

But it wasn’t only fun and games. In order to graduate we had to do 800 hours of work study in either a hotel or a restaurant. I decided to do 400 hours of work study in the restaurants on campus. I’ll meet a boy that I’ll like with a hairnet on my head. Sexy. But I know how to make a great sandwich.

The other 400 hours was done at the Baymont Hotel off campus. I was a front desk clerk, breakfast attendant and housekeeper. So I’m that person who knows how to make the bed look like you’re sleeping in a hotel room. I’m the person that knows that the worst thing a front desk attendant can say when you ask for a free upgrade is no. I’m the person that knows that if you check into a hotel really late at night and the parking lot looks empty, you might as well ask for a discounted rate with a straight face.

It’s not great that I did this while in college because I’m also the person who stares extra hard at the bathroom floor to ensure there is no hair on the floor when I check into a room. I look at how the bed is made and how the towels are placed and folded.

I got a job in my major after college but after a year I realized it wasn’t for me. Working on holidays and weekends is just not ideal since I love spending time with friends, family and of course Sean. I still love restaurants, hotels and traveling obviously.

You’re probably wondering what I’m getting at. Well, Mr. Sean did not care much about good customer service. If we went to a restaurant and waited 20 minutes before someone came to our table and asked if we cared for something to drink, it was no big deal to him. Me? I was ready to leave. If we entered a hotel room and there was hair in the tub I needed a different room. Sean wanted to pick it up, throw it in the trash bin and lay on the bed.

Oh how things have changed! Mr. Sean is quick to point out if he is not happy with the customer service. He is quick to ask me to dial 0 at the hotel and do my “magic” since I know all about the hospitality industry.

The reason I’m talking about this today is because Sean moved into our new apartment on Sunday and found a few things not to his liking and he let them know. A few years ago, Sean would have just dealt with the issues and not said anything. It would have been up to me to say how poor the service was, etc. Well not anymore. He went right in and listed everything he was unhappy with and they fixed everything. I have to say that I’m proud.

And me? Well, I’m a little more laid back. It’s OK if I asked for a chicken fajita and you bring me a steak fajita. It’s OK if I asked for a glass of iced water with no lemon and you bring me a glass of iced water with a lemon. We’re only human, right.

But for all things that are holy do not, I repeat do not put mayo on my sandwich when I specifically stress no mayo. That I can’t forgive.