Spring Arrives

With the first day of spring now officially here, the Players Championship a part of history (almost finished) and the Masters on the horizon...the golf season has opened!

Fredrica Golf Club, Sea Island - This new Tom Fazio design is a gem. If you take away the surrounding vista, and focused solely on the golfing arena, I believe it looks a lot like Augusta National. The course is playable, fun, and for a facility opened last fall in outstanding condition. They built a 400 acres lake and created the highest point (the clubhouse) for 50 miles around during the consruction of the course. The bunkers could arguably stand to be a slightly deeper but it is a great golf course and worth whatever effort to play it. For my money, I would play Fredrica ahead of Ocean Forest (at the end of Sea Island). Fredrica is at the north end of St. Simons Island and part of the Sea Island Company.


As I was checking into one of my absolute favourite hotels, it reminded me of the many variables which create an experience;

Assume exceptional facilities & location.

It is the people...and there training which define greatness. The room service attendent who inquires as they are leaving the room, "may I return in 1 hour to collect the plates?"...the staff efforts to use your last name, no less than four times did staff inquire how to pronounce my name...it is the taking ownership of a sitution and managing it, I had some business matters to handle and the front desk were exceptional....they made a process that could have been so cumbersome, a breeze. These things do not just happen, the service providers have to want to deliver great service and managements job is to provide every tool to achieve these lofty levels. They must also set the tone, that nothing less than the pursuit of excellent is tolerated. From personal knowledge the leadership at Sea Island sets that tone in the clearest signal. (The Lodge at Sea Island).

Compare my experience last week with a hotel I visited in February (The Wilmingtonian, Wilmington, N.C.). The billing procedure was hopeless. I asked for someone to sort out as I departed and to call me with their resolution. Forty eight hours later, no call. I called the General Manager and left him a clear, concise voicemail. I raised some other service issues in my voicemail to him, yet he did not return my call and instead asked the person from two days earlier to return HIS call from a disgruntled guest. Well, I interpret this to mean that the leader of the pack accepts and expects sloppiness. There is no effort to achieve anything above mediocrity. Suffice to say, while the stay at the hotel was OK, after the follow up experience, wild horses will not drag me back.

I have found www.tripadvisor.com as a pretty good source of candid comments. Be sure to look thru all comments on a proprty as I have seen cranks in action where they the site to exact retribution from the hotel, but you will see patterns emerge (both good & bad) which hold consistent themes, making you a more knowledgeble consumer.