Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, Jonathan Tisch, is a global leader in the travel and tourism industry and was a featured interview on the Today Show talking about his new book "Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough, Reinventing the Customer Experience."

All I can say is YEAH YEAH YEAH.

In the interview he talked about what I've been saying for years - we need to go out of our way to help customers to set ourselves apart from the competition and create that memorable experience.

I'll never forget the first trainer I had with Pearle Vision, Dorthea Jons, who told the story of a trip to a brand new hotel. It was a small facility, a local business and they had only been open for a week when Dorthea stayed for the first time.

She checked in and the desk clerk made eye contact and used her name. She was then introduced to the bell hop who also used her name as he carried her bag to her room.

Once in her room, she called down to the front desk for a wake-up call and her name was again used and she told how that made her feel. That evening as she went down to the vending machines an employee passed her in the hall and made eye contact, smiled and used her name. She marveled at how they managed this feat.

The next morning as she alighted, dripping, from the shower she grabbed a towel from the rack and found a thin, less than desirable cloth. but before she could bemoan the fact, she noticed a little card on the back of the commode which explained that the proper towels were on back order and the management apologized for the less than fluffy fabric.

After all of the special attention she'd received, she forgave them instantly for the 2nd rate towel.

Now you may think that these are everyday occurrences and yet I must explain that her experience took place in the 70's, long before the customer service genius of the Ritz Carlton became known.

The point is that someone took the time to train their staff to treat each customer as if they were a guest in their home. Those of you who have ever worked for Target, know that customers are referred to as guest and their training emphasizes the importance of treating every guest as a welcomed, valued visitor.

In the book, "Chocolate on the Pillow" author Tisch gives examples of companies that are "doing it right" and breaking out from the crowd of competition to offer a memorable customer experience which leads to customer loyalty - a rare commodity in this over crowded commercial world.

Check out the interview from Today.