SPG Does The “Little Things” Well. I Hope It’s Contagious
I remember over 15 years ago when I was first enamored with Starwood Preferred Guest. At first, it wasn’t because of their hotels. It was because their credit card, the Starwood Preferred American Express Card, earned more American Airlines AAdvantage miles per dollar than American’s own credit card.
Fast forward a bunch of years. I’m now a lifetime SPG Platinum member. I’ve stayed literally hundreds of nights in their hotels (closing in on one thousand). They’ve been good to me, even as I’ve been a bit if a “philanderer” with my affinity for Hyatt hotels.
Sure, I’ve had bumps and bruises along the way with SPG. What long-term relationship doesn’t? But, they’ve treated me well.
I arrived home from a short family trip recently to find a box waiting for me from SPG. Inside was a thank you note and a simple but elegant leather amenity case. My wife quickly absconded it. The card is a thank you from the SPG American Express folks.
Now, I don’t receive any commission for talking about their credit card. I actually don’t for any credit cards. My only bias here is a love for the brand. And, that purple credit card I’ve carried in my wallet for almost two decades.
It was a simple, nice gesture on their part. Maybe I got it because I’m a blogger. Or, maybe as a loyal customer. Who knows?
The gift made me think of other fun stuff in the past. The suitcases my Ambassador sent our kids was probably one of my favorites!
What’s The Point?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock and this is your first time reading my blog, you know that Marriott acquired Starwood. While they work to integrate the two brands, we’re still learning what the future of one program will look like.
Let’s hope the Marriott folks pay attention to programs like this. They make a difference, at least to me. Transactional loyalty is fine. But, it’s…….transactional. Surprise and delight doesn’t have to be “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” big. It just has to be fun. And, just a bit memorable.
Shoot for that, Marriott. If you’re not quite sure how, I bet there’s still a few SPG folks hanging around that can help fill in some blanks.
The post SPG Does The “Little Things” Well. I Hope It’s Contagious was published first on Pizza in Motion
