TIP

19Create an Experience

Three days later, Brian arrived at the hotel 15 minutes early.

The bellman greeted him with a friendly hello as he walked into the building.

He entered the lobby and looked around. It was obvious why the hotel was rated five stars by Forbes, and five diamonds by AAA. He had done his research not only on the hotel but also the entire hotel group, which had locations in all the major cities in the United States, as well as international properties and resorts throughout Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central America, and the Caribbean. It was a luxury brand that catered to sophisticated leisure and business travelers looking for memorable experiences. It was welcoming from the entry, all the way up the marble staircase to the reception area.

Cara Crenshaw was the Regional VP of sales and marketing for the hotel group, and upon a quick LinkedIn search, when he got her e-mail, Brian could see that she had been in the hospitality industry for most of her life. He was supposed to meet her at 2:00 p.m. in the Downtown Ballroom on the third floor. He was surprised he wasn’t meeting Cara in her office or an interview room of some kind, but he just assumed she was busy and trying to multitask.

He pulled open the large mahogany door of the ballroom and entered. The room looked like it was set for a wedding or a very elaborate awards dinner. There were about 30 tables covered with white tablecloths and beautiful flowers. Individual menus were at each place setting, ...