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| The beginning stages of "kissing" swan origami towels, courtesy of Kelsi Kendall. |
It’s the sights that wow you initially at French Lick
Resort, whether you’re awestruck by the gold-leaf paint that brings the bling
to the lobby of French Lick Springs Hotel, or transfixed by the West Baden
Springs Hotel Dome like a kid staring at a skyscraper. Along the way, hopefully
you’ve noticed something else: our service.
We’ve all stayed at dozens (maybe hundreds) of hotels
before, and while all hotel rooms start to take on that homogenous look and
vibe after a while, the thing you’re more likely to remember is how you were
treated there. That’s why French Lick Resort associates — whether at the valet
stand, the massage table at the spa or the caddie at the tee box — share the
same guiding direction about how to go about their jobs.
Exceed the expectations of our guests. That’s the mission.
This “At Your Service” series of blogs over the next few
weeks will provide a peek into how some guests leave French Lick Resort with a
great experience to share and a memorable story to tell, thanks to resort
associates who’ve gone the extra mile to make it happen. Our first instance
comes courtesy of Kelsi Kendall, who’s working behind the scenes of the front
desks at French Lick Resort hotels for five years and has found a pretty cool
way to apply her creativity.
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| A lotus flower in motion. |
Hotels everywhere will get some zany requests from incoming
guests. Such as the 28-year guy who wanted a pillow fort built in his room. Or
another guest who requested to have a framed picture of Nicholas Cage waiting
in his room. Or the person who wanted the bed made up backward, with the
pillows at the foot of the bed.
So, yeah, some of the requests are a little too off-the-wall
to actually make happen. Yet every so often, they do.
A few months ago, Kelsi got wind of an intriguing request,
and these were some pie-in-the-sky demands: the guest wanted a room on a high
floor, with a view of the swimming pool, plus a dinosaur made from towels and
placed by the TV. And a York Peppermint Pattie and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
You know, in case the dinosaur got hungry.
Kelsi pondered the offbeat request, and then…
“Challenge accepted,” she said with a laugh.
This one fell into that right place, right time category.
Random Tuesday; middle of winter; hotel traffic not too heavy. A little bit
“out there,” yet also attainable.
“That’s the kind of weird request that I’m like, ‘Yeah, I
want to do that. Let me help with that,” Kelsi said. “The concierge desk, when
they get those type of requests, they usually will bring them by my way and let
me know. And if I’m not busy I try to accommodate as many of them as I can.”
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| Some of Kelsi's creations include a flower in a vase as well as a peacock (both at the foot of the bed). |
She acquired a stash of starchy towels, pulled up YouTube
and spent an hour and half watching how-to videos and folding along with them. Kelsi
has surprised guests with her origami towel animal creations on just a couple
occasions, but whenever she does, they’re bound to elicit rave reactions thanks
to some of the detail she incorporates.
For the dinosaur, she turned some pieces of colored tape
into eyeballs, and also found some real leaves to include for dinosaur food
alongside the candy and cookies that were requested. The guest who received the
dinosaur creation (and also named it “Pierre” while keeping him intact for the
rest of their stay) couldn’t believe her luck, which she expressed in this section
of the thank-you note she wrote:
I almost cried that
they did my ridiculous request. We took so many pictures with him and he made
us smile every time we went into our room and when we woke up.
Kelsi’s next move? A pair of “kissing” swans for a newlywed
couple. She’s trying out a few more creations: a peacock, a stingray and a
lotus flower, just for starters. Her crafty portfolio is slowly growing,
perfect for that next opportunity she gets to spring a pleasant surprise on a
guest.