A Natural in Premier Customer Service

Many businesses tout themselves as having excellent customer service, but what about those that go beyond excellence. How do you know? I recently had the pleasure of experiencing true Premier customer service at a small bed and breakfast in Parkdale Oregon. Innkeeper Mary Pellegrini of The Old Parkdale Inn is a natural when it comes to Premier service which I define as service from the heart, natural and genuine, not forced or scripted.

Mary is one of those innkeepers that you just love. She has a natural gift for making you feel comfortable and she is helpful in a supportive manner that makes your stay a joy. From our fist phone call the service went beyond just a reservation she supplied us with helpful information of must-sees along the way to Parkdale and followed the conversation up with email specifics, website links, directions and easy check-in instructions.

Arriving at the inn and settling into our fun and comfortable room we were welcomed with complimentary local beer and wine to enjoy as we relaxed and sat in awe of the view of Mt. Hood. Our choice of breakfast consisted of recently harvested ingredients from the local Community Supported Agriculture farm Mary is a member of. Plus, we were able to name our time for breakfast. (As I write this I find myself drooling thinking about the omelet, sausage and fresh berries we were served). Both the locally produced beverages and ingredient filled warm breakfast was an extra special surprise for me.

More Help

Since we were continuing on with our travels in the state with some spontaneity we needed a place to stay after the Old Parkdale Inn. We knew we were heading south west to meet up with friends in a few days but in between we were open to suggestions. Mary showed us a map and recommended a town and lodge in Sisters which we booked and really enjoyed. To top of our bit of spontaneity we had sent a package with some ski equipment prior to our flight out that should have arrived in plenty of time at the inn so we could ski Mt. Hood, weather permitting. The FedEx Ground package was not there when we arrived at the inn, but arrived the day we departed, 7 long days after we sent it out. This put us a half day behind schedule as we had to wait for it to arrive (Note to folks at FedEx Ground, you may want to read this entry for an example of customer service). Mary gave us suggestions in the area to explore while we waited for her call to us when the box arrived at the Inn's doorstep.

Premier Service

Mary's genuine caring and helpfulness made the stay that more enjoyable and truly Premier. She went beyond any of the other B&Bs I have ever experienced. If you are ever in Oregon this is a must-stay from beginning to end and to your return (which I hope to have the opportunity to do again).

Tell Us

Where or when have you experienced Premier Customer Service and why did you think it was premier. Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading

Image by Cheryl A. Smith