It’s always great to walk into a business and see an award on the wall for outstanding service.  However, I was blown away when I checked into the Hampton Inn in Buffalo, WY.  In the display case off the lobby there were five Connie Awards and two Lighthouse Awards, the top awards presented by the Hilton chain of hotels.

It’s a huge honor to earn a Lighthouse and an even greater honor to receive a Connie named after Conrad Hilton.  With all my travel and nights stayed the Hilton brand hotels, it’s rare to see a Connie award, so walking into the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Buffalo, WY and seeing five Connie awards was amazing.

The awards are based on surveys from guests, Quality Assurance standards and inspections from Hilton.  Hilton scores their properties with Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent and Outstanding.  The Buffalo Hampton consistently earns Outstanding.

The Buffalo Hampton is off Interstate 90 in a town with a population of 4,573.  With the exception of a couple of Western artifacts and pictures, the hotel looked pretty much like every other Hampton I’ve checked into…no spa, no Olympic size pool, no concierge-level – none of the offerings of world-class hotels.  So how did this property earn world-class recognition?

That is the question I asked the general manager, Ron Roman. Ron noted, “It’s the commitment and pride we take in the hospitality we provide.  My staff is my family and my role as a GM is to continually find ways to create a culture of connections for them and our guests.  Our primary goal is to make friends one guest at a time.”

Ron Roman is a master in the art of my Nice Bike principle.  He acknowledges his staff by empowering them, he honors their contributions and he creates meaningful connections for all.

Nice Bike to World Class Award Winning Hampton Inn, Buffalo Wyoming.