As I reflect on the wonderful week in San Francisco, I ...
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As I reflect on the wonderful week in San Francisco, I recall my personal journey as a host. One that I began nine years...
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Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting a young couple who were eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first child. Their visit was filled with excitement, joy and a little rest. On the morning of their departure, they decided to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at a beloved local coffee house.
However, as they were soaring above the clouds on their way back to the Big Apple, we received a frantic text message from them. They had just realized that one of their phones was missing, left behind at the coffee house. Understandably worried, they reached out to us with a huge favor: Could we possibly retrieve the phone and mail it to them?
Without hesitation, we assured them that we’d be more than happy to help. After all, in their shoes, we’d hope for the same kindness. We immediately drove to the coffee house, explained the situation to the staff, and showed them the text exchange. Thankfully, the specific staff member they had spoken to and texted with earlier was there and handed us the phone.
We took the phone home, carefully wrapped it in a box with plenty of cushioning, and headed to FedEx to ensure it made its way safely back to New York. A few days later, we received a lovely thank-you card from the couple, expressing their gratitude.
Reflecting on the experience, we’re reminded of how many small acts of kindness came together to make this possible—an unknown good Samaritan who turned in the phone, the helpful coffee house staff, and the reliable folks at FedEx. It was a team effort, and we were just happy to have played our part.
Helping them was not just a favor, but a reflection of the hospitality we believe in—a belief that we should always do for others what we would hope someone would do for us.
@Nash-Cottages-LLC0 OH MY GOD- what a relief to get back ones phone. I am dumbstruck if I can imagine myself at such a situation. I have a practice of sending pictures of guest items (if any) after their check out. Have not used FedEx or any other until date, but I have guests coming back for their stay with me and I hand it over to them in person. I have a cupboard where I store in any articles left behind by my guests. Wish for it to get empty 😍. You did an amazing task of mailing it back 🤗, love it. Awesome hospitality.
I completely agree with you— @Nash-Cottages-LLC0 truly went above and beyond for their guests in this instance. Phones have become an essential part of our lives, and losing one can certainly cause a lot of headaches
Do you have many guests who return to your accommodations after staying with you once? This really speaks to the exceptional experience you're providing 💖
Best regards,
Hello @Paula, Take your word on how our lives are glued to our phones (do feel unfortunate at times 😒).
About guests returning to my place for stay - oh yes I have a handful of return guests. My location focusses majorly on business travel, medical tourism and education related travel needs. Its just a tier two city location and not a destination 😜. Hence I have a good number of guests coming back. Also I have repeat guests from USA and UK, to visit family every vacation. Its always a pleasure to host them back. Dr Arathi , a trained Ayurvedha physician has to visit my city every month and she has remarked "Always, the best. A home away from home". She even attempts to tweak her visits based on the availability of my house. These are very special moments in my hosting journey. Fell blessed.
Paula - Thank you! We do have some guests who return and some folks who would love to stay with us again, but we've been booked. IF we've had a mutually good experience (guest and us!), we do try to accommodate them!
Aww! Thank you @Dr-Jayanthi1. Yeah, as we wrote, we did what we hoped someone would do for us as a phone is a family critical piece of technology to have to replace. We just received baby photos from the new family and hope to be able to host them again!
@Nash-Cottages-LLC0 what a wonderful and helpful story to read. It is interesting to see how small act of kindness of collecting a phone and posting it to your past guests can leave a lasting memory. This is what one could call today as passing on one kind deed to another.
Your story reflects the spirit of hospitality in Hosting and how you went above and beyond for your guests. All I can say is thank you for sharing your good deed of humanity which isn't heard by many these days.
Laurelle from Downunder.
@Laurelle3 Thank you for taking time to write and share you thoughts. Yes, we played a part in getting the phone back to our guests, but really, it started with the person who turned it in. That person may not even remember what they did and likely don't know the part they played, but it was absolutely critical. And, yes, we often don't hear all the good that is happening. It's one reason why I wrote up this story -- share a little positivity. Hope all is well as you enter your warmer seasons. We're gearing up for rain and chillier weather!
Judy and Mike