I wrote this for another question, but apropos :)

This is the best, most positive experience I had at the hotel where I worked in college.

As I was getting ready to close my shift out at the front desk of a large hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, a woman came to my desk and said that she wanted to check in, but she lost her purse somewhere along the way between the train station and the hotel.

She was frantic. She was having a meltdown. I asked her about her reservation, if she was with a group? She said “Yes! I’m with X group!”

Awesome. I knew this was an incoming group, with a block of rooms, so I asked for her name. Her name corresponded with a name on my incoming list. I told her that I see her reservation and you have a room! So don’t worry about that, I said. Let’s get the rest sorted.

I then asked when was the last time she saw her purse, and she said that it was on the Amtrak that came into Union Station about 20 minutes before she got to the hotel.

I asked her if she’d had anything to eat. She said she hadn’t, in hours. I said well you better get over to the restaurant and let them give you something to eat while I make some calls! I sent her to the restaurant, and I made sure that everyone knew she was my guest, and why.

I got on the phone, called a few people I knew at Amtrak and asked them to find the cleaners on that train. They found her purse, and brought it to the hotel. Everything intact.

Kicker is? The woman I helped? She was in DC to lead a series of workshops on customer service. I turned out to be the star in her first session on “Getting service right.“ I answered questions, interacted with people who shared their struggles with me. Overall, I had a really affirming moment of sunshine, while working a stressful job. I didn’t expect it, but I also got a raise.

I have been in her shoes. Just one caring person makes all the difference in that person’s world.