It worked! A few weeks ago I wrote about twitter and a a travel and leisure article on using social networking when you travel. (See post here.) One of the highlights was stories of people tweeting to get the attention of an airline or hotel when there was an issue.
We were at a Sheraton in Iowa City this weekend for a family wedding (enjoyed Iowa City – holy “midwest nice”!) Friday night there was a fire alarm at 3:30 am (false alarm luckily!) and then at 7 am I awoke to a beeping that sounded like an alarm clock going off. When it did not stop 20 minutes later, I called the front desk. When I went running at 8, it was still beeping. I mentioned it to the front desk on the way out. When I was getting ready for brunch at 11:45 it was still BEEPING! So I tweeted: “@sheratonhotels In Iowa city … False fire alarm 3:00 am now alarm in service elevator all day. #bummer!”. Well, within 15 minutes, they replied “We apologize for any inconvenience caused. A manager will be following up with you directly. Pls DM if we can help further.” They called us back in the room a few hours later and gave us an update and then 3,500 starwoods points for our trouble! Wow! It worked!! (The only bummer is that the alarm continued to go off every hour – they did offer to let us switch rooms, but we were late for the photos so we passed on it.) The net-net is that people are watching these accounts closely for issues and bad PR. I will use them wisely, but I will definitely use them! (Anyone else have a similar experience?)
Ooh and speaking of complaining productively, check out SeeClickFix. It is an app for your phone that works like calling 3-1-1 in some cities. It is a free app to report non-life threatening issues like potholes, graffiti, idling buses/trucks, etc. Based on my recent success, I will try it! SeeClickFix maintains that more than 60 percent of reported issues get resolved, which, while not perfect, is a much better success rate than not doing anything!
We enjoyed Iowa City – especially my running tour with Sarah and the farmer’s market. Lots of great stuff and low, low prices! There are a lot of creative people in Iowa City – and have I mentioned NICE?! The wedding was in a barn and the bride and groom (and family and over 100 friends) did most of the work themselves. All I can say is wow! Allie and Thomas are really inspiring for the impact they have had in their community over the last few years. It took a village and they did it. Photos to come…
Links I Like:
– Has staring at all of these Olympians made you want to work on your abs? Me too! Check out these posts from Shape: Best Ab Exercises You have Never Seen and Best Poses for Flat Abs
– I also liked Shape’s 10 Times it is OK to Break the Rules. Lots of good advice – no surprise, I especially liked “Order a 2nd cup of coffee!”
– Some good food advice this week from Runner’s World Non-Extreme Meal Makeovers and Prevention Healthy Foods That Reduce Stress and Depression.
Friend’s Finds:
– An amusing friend’s find from Amy — you may not want to open this one in the office!… from Jezebel.com Why Ryan Lochte is America’s Sexiest @-**&!
– Olivia sends a set of really cool Olympic infographics comparing medalists over the years to today’s Olympians – wow!
Some Fun Deals!
– Lifebooker has a great deal for Chicago folks – $75 for 2 hours of a handyman’s time (especially if he looks like that guy! Which I bet he doesn’t – just saying!) They also have the return of one of my fave deals! $39 for 2 hour closet cleaning and advice from Katie at KS Style Consulting. She even takes your bags for good will and offers to sell items on ebay for you! So worth it!!
– Want to try some kick-butt yoga sculpt in Chicago? Groupon has a $59 for a month unlimited at CorePower Yoga. If you have never been there before, they give you a free week in addition. That’s 5 weeks for $59! They have a bunch of locations and times… no excuses!
– Want something printed or personalized? With this deal – why not?? Groupon has a national deal for $17 for $70 Worth of Custom-Printing Services from Vista print and their prices are good to begin with.
– Take awesome Instagram shots? Daily Candy has a great deal on Instagram enlargements from CanvasPop Pay $49 for a 20 x 20 canvas enlargement – normally $114! 57% savings. Cool idea for your home or as a gift! (Not creative? Check out this Daily Candy Deal for a signed 11 x 14 retro print from artist Matt Schwartz for only $50 plus shipping.
– Need a drink? How about dessert? I saw a You Swoop for a “Drink Deck” which is a set of playing cards for 52 bars in Chicago, NYC, London and Portland for $17 (normally $30 – still a good deal if you frequent bars even once a month!) I realized that the You Swoop is ending. But, for Chicago, they sell the Drink Deck AND a Dessert Deck (52 $10 coupons for local sweet shops and bakeries!) for $35 here. Wait! They are now selling the Dessert Deck or Diva Deck (a deck of coupons for beauty and treats) for $5 each! Good through the end of the year. With shipping, you break even after one use and are ahead if you use 2! Click here for the sale site. Oh, and a portion of the sale goes to charity, too – WIN-WIN!
– Want a sweet deal on a hotel in NYC? Bloomspot has 2 nights at the MAve hotel near Madison Square Park (yes, Shake Shack and Eataly at your door step!) for $478 for a King Room for 2. Pretty open availability and no expiration.
OK – that’s enough for now! Find anything good this week or are you glued to the Olympics??