From the desk of Signature Parking Founder & CEO Michael Holmstrom. The Weekly Drive is a collection of company news, ideas & inspiration that can drive us all to be better humans.
Signature Updates
We’re excited to announce our newest hotel partnership with The Kimpton La Peer Hotel of West Hollywood! The La Peer marks our 5th hotel property in the Los Angeles market and expands upon our relationship with Kimpton hotels. Kudos and special thanks to the launch team led by our So Cal Regional Luke Ming, LA Area Manager Chris Moreno, and support from Raul Jiminez and Mitchel Dietz. It was a flawless launch and our client is already thrilled with the vast improvement in customer service levels over their previous in-house valet team. This is a Big Win to start 2023 off on the right foot! A big Thank you to everyone involved including our current team of Noah, Christopher, Gerald, Arthur, Omar, Alirio, Yearlin and Amari who are delighting our guests; we’re grateful for your efforts!
Signature Moments & Customer Feedback
Feedback from a happy guest at The SHAY Hotel – “While I’m here, I must complement a few of the folks there. First off, the valet team. Wow, they are so impressive as the first face of the property! It’s a difficult location with all the ‘ins and outs’ and they have to be the most proactive and friendly valet team at any hotel! Amari in particular was such a consummate, friendly professional!”
Another compliment from a guest at The SHAY Hotel – The guest in room 0538 called down this afternoon and asked if a Valet Manager was available, fearing a guest complaint I fielded the call but it turned out that she was just glowing with an appreciation for our newest Valet host Amari. Our guest had a rental car and the side mirrors had a heavy fog on them that made them unusable, Omari offered to assist, got some Windex from housekeeping, and cleaned the mirrors for her while the car was parked so they were in great condition when she drove to work today. This is the guest’s second time at The Shay and she said she has already fallen in love. Please pass on our guest’s appreciation to Amari, as well as appreciation to the whole Shay Squad, we all take pride in going to extra mile to take care of our guests, and it is awesome to see someone so new to the team really embracing our creative camaraderie!
Two name drops in the last few months for Amari, way to go!!
Insights
Today is employee appreciation day. For me, it’s also a day to reflect and be grateful for all of the individual and collective contributions made by you and every employee who has come through Signature over the years. I founded this company 25+ years ago with a simple vision and a whole lot of grit and determination. From just a few employees in the East Bay Area back in 1995, we’ve grown to over 200 strong. The decision to start Signature Parking may have been an individual act, but our growth and success as a company are the collective results of our hardworking employees over the years, including you.
I still get a thrill from jumping out in the driveway on occasion, opening doors, and parking and pulling cars, although today my value lies mostly in working with our executive team and coaching from the sidelines. All this to say, having worked in the trenches for many years, in the heat and the cold, the rain, and even in the snow (Squaw Valley was a client for a few years), I have tremendous respect and admiration for each of you who report for duty each day with a smiling face, ready and willing to serve our guests and clients, going the extra mile, and making our customers feel welcomed and cared for. I understand and respect the job you do because I know valet parking and the hospitality industry, in general, is not always easy work. It requires a lot of time on your feet, time away from home, and it requires putting a smile on your face, even when you might not be having your best day. Please know your efforts are noticed and appreciated. My heartfelt Thank You for your service!
With appreciation and gratitude for your service, we’re buying you lunch today! Our account and regional managers will be delivering lunch to our sites this afternoon and evening. Bon appetit!
Leveling Up
A few years ago, I leveled up my gratitude practice and I’ve seen great results. There have been numerous studies on the positive mental and physical health benefits of practicing gratitude on a regular basis. My girlfriend also introduced me to the Gratitude App on my iPhone which is designed to help you build a gratitude habit and also comes with some great affirmations and daily motivational content. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. In my own personal experience, it’s made me feel more joy and happiness in my day-to-day life.
If you don’t already practice gratitude, my challenge for you is to find 3 things today to be grateful for, then set a reminder for the same time tomorrow and do it again. It could be the sky, the mountains, the water in your glass, a friend or loved one, your co-worker, your pets, or maybe your home. Today I’m grateful that I’m finally feeling healthy after battling a few health issues over the past few months. Feel free to drop a note in the comments link below. What are you grateful for?
Listen: The Science of Gratitude and How to build a gratitude practice (Huberman Lab, Podcast)
More to Read: What is Gratitude? 5 Ways to be thankful. (Better Up)
Quote I’m pondering
“Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life—this I know for sure,” – Oprah Winfrey
Reach Out
I love to hear from our employees. Please feel free to reply or leave a note in the comments section of this blog post.