Sitting in my Phuket home, I was looking at agoda.com , a travel website which lists hotels for Chiang Mai. Each hotel has a ranking. The highest ranking is “Superb” which indicates that virtually everyone who has visited the hotel has given it the highest ranking possible. I spent half an hour looking at about one hundred hotel options in the Night Bazaar section of Chiang Mai. I wanted a hotel that was budget friendly at $20 or less per night, and was also highly ranked. But how high can a $20 a night hotel really be ranked?
I came across a hotel called ZZ House. At $15 per night, the price was right. With a top rating of Superb, this seemed a perfect match for me, a great hotel to spend my first week in Chiang Mai while I explored and discovered the area I would like to spend most of the time during my 3 month stay. I paid my money and booked my room. Good-bye Phuket, and hello Chiang Mai.
Meet Boyd. Boyd is the proprietor of the ZZ House. Boyd is 40 years old, a true professional, and as nice as a guy can be. He doesn’t see his patrons as dollar signs, but rather as human beings who just want to have a great time while visiting his hotel and beautiful Thai city. The second night I was there in Chiang Mai, Boyd took all his patrons to a Buddhist Lantern Festival. He drove us one hour out of town to the venue, pointed us in the right direction, met us afterwards for the drive back, and insured that we had the time of our lives. That night was as glorious as an experience as I have had. Most any other hotels may have told me about the event, but how would I know how to get there, where to park, what to bring, etc. I am, after all, an American who is visiting Thailand. With Boyd going well above and beyond the call of duty, I had an evening I will never forget.
Doing anything with excellence has its own rewards. The pride of creating a product or service that powerfully rings of excellence is profound. Seeing others experience excellence is equally empowering. Knowing that you did the best you could, to create something that potently and positively impacts others, allows you to sleep better at night. I did my best. That is all I can do. I did not take any shortcuts. I did not cheat anyone. I did not make a few extra bucks by omitting this or that. No, I went for it 100% and let the chips fall where they may.
Here is another way this paid off for Boyd. I submitted this review to Agoda and Trip Advisor:
“ZZ House: Great Location. Great Value. Great Host 10
I arrived at the ZZ House and was met by Boyd. I was very early, so I took an hour to look around while the room was prepared. The small room was clean, cool, had very hot water, a good sized bed and a refrigerator with water and drinks. Great location. Not far from Loi Kroh Road, the Night Bazaar, really nice supermarket, loads of restaurants, massages, coffee shops, everything I need. The best part of the experience is Boyd, the host. On my second day, he took all of us to a Buddhist Lantern Festival. It was amazing and ranks as one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Boyd drove us there, hung out with us, and brought us back. It is rare to have a host who really cares about his patrons. Boyd was there to help in any way he could, with recommendations, connections, and quick response to requests. What a great stay. ZZ House gets an A+.”
When I think about taking a short cut, or doing it the easy way, or settling for good enough rather than great, I will remember my Thai friend Boyd and his approach to life and work. Always give them more than they expect. And expect nothing in return. That sounds like a fantastic recipe for life. It is simple and profound and surprisingly uncommon.
About the Author
Jay Cradeur is an author, blogger, internet marketer, world traveler, and coach. Jay has helped thousands to achieve their dreams of financial independence. As an internet marketing coach with a focus on personal development, Jay may be able to assist you in reaching your goals. You can work with Jay for a 100% refundable fee of $49 by clicking on this link and committing to your future. Work with Coach Jay.
