We went to a wedding this weekend – my Dad’s, as it happens!
Now, I’ve been to a few wedding receptions in my time, as I’m sure have most if not all of you. Those of you who have will most likely have experienced at one time or another poor service, poor food and depressed looking staff who would rather be anywhere other than there, serving you.
Well, I have to give a big shout out to all at The Dubrovnik Hotel in Bradford, because they were exceptionally good. The hotel is owned by Ned Basic and his family and they deserve all the plaudits they’re getting!
Right from the moment we arrived, we were impressed. We were met with a very welcoming greeting at the door, checked in immediately and personally walked to our room. Prior to the reception, Ned had made the effort to find out that Steve was the best Man and had taken him aside to both introduce himself and find out how he wanted things to go with regard to the Bride & Groom’s entrance, plus the order of the speeches etc. Steve came back very impressed and the attention had actually helped to relax his pre-speech nerves.
I’m pleased to say that the speeches went very well, although Steve had to make an unexpected and last-minute amendment to his speech, in order to incorporate a thank you to the chef and kitchen staff. The meal was superb in every way and since the bride is a coeliac, the groom had requested the whole meal be gluten-free so as not to leave the bride feeling different (which was in itself a lovely thought!). Furthermore, all 45 or so meals were delivered together, all piping hot, with the waiters and waitresses all smiling and chirpy in doing so.
As the reception ended and the room was prepared for the evening do, the staff did their work tirelessly and the transition from the dining room to the evening room was made almost without anybody noticing. The dance floor appeared out of nowhere and the evening kicked off seamlessly. All the while, the staff joined in conversations, smiled and made everyone feel so welcome.
When it came to the evening supper, again this included a wealth of hot food, all superbly cooked and again, gluten-free. The homemade coleslaw was gorgeous and the cooked meats were perfect! And as the evening drew to a close, the remaining staff were all friendly and still smiling at 1 am, not forcing everyone to leave as can often be the case! The hotel staff couldn’t have done more to play their part in making it a truly exceptional day and one that my Dad and his wife will no doubt remember with great joy for a very long time.
After writing this blog, I’ll be writing a thank you card to the hotel, thanking them for their attention. We’re a nation that seemingly likes to complain when things aren’t right, however, I think many of us could do better at giving good feedback, particularly when expectations are well and truly surpassed, as in the case here! Customer service is often the only thing that sets us aside from our competition, no matter what business you’re in.
As a data provider, we’re in the business of providing companies data, as well as data cleaning, and we pride ourselves on the attention we pay to our prospects and clients alike. We like to think that we have built our reputation not only on the quality of our business data lists and consumer data lists but the quality of our customer service too.
Needless to say, this being an ideal prompt for feedback, I welcome any comments, both positive and negative, in respect of both this blog and of your experience of Data Bubble Consultancy Limited.
