From searching to send-off hugs: A perfectly persistent [offline and online] hotel experience

I just stayed at the Desert Star Hotel in Palm Springs, CA. And I really cannot say enough about the genius customer experience that owner Davy has created from beginning to end. If you go to Palm Springs, you must stay there!

I immediately had a good feeling about Desert Star Hotel. I found it organically when searching for hotels on visitpalmsprings.com. It is listed as one of the 30 or so boutique hotels. The pics and description stood out from the rest; so, I went to the website. The story that the website tells still made me feel excited about this place. So, I went on to Yelp. It came up #1 on Yelp. That was enough, I picked up the phone and made reservations.

But still, just because the website is great, you never know what you are going to really get.

Here are six examples of Desert Star’s consistent online and offline customer experience, and the customer joy it created for me.

1. Online: 5-star yelp Review—all reviews consistent.
   Offline: I was compelled to give the same 5-star review.
   Feeling: customer diehardism
2. Online: Enticing photos on website.
   Offline: the photos did not do the place justice.
   Feeling: customer remorselessness
3. Online: Desert Guide on their site, your one stop guide to Palm Springs.
   Offline: Same paper guide in your bungalow.
   Feeling: relief, so easy!
4. Online: Guest Cruiser Bikes listed as an amenity. Plus Bike Map Routes.
   Offline: Upon arrival, Guest Cruiser bikes were parked right in front ready to go!
   Feeling: giddiness
5. Online: Hotel is described as “mid-century modern,” and the architectural theme is continued with a mid-century modern self-guided architectural tour [PDF] of Palm Springs, compliments of Desert Star Hotel.
   Offline: the hotel is true to description. The counter stools, couch, lamps, cutting board, even the microwave (I can’t believe this thing still works).
   Feeling: retro
6. Online: very explicit. The website gives you absolutely every single detail you want to know before booking a stay at a hotel. Including photos and descriptions of each bungalow.
   Offline: Davy is very thorough and detail oriented from phone calls to arrival. When we arrived, we had a personalized note on the door telling us to come on in and enjoy our stay.
   Feeling: happy

That’s why your website experience is so important. Your website has the power to get people excited enough to visit you in person. And, when your website is true to the real customer experience . . . you’ll win every time.

Try this excercise: Ask your customers how your customer experience makes them feel.