A CX Lesson From Below Deck: Preference Sheets

Start treating your customers like they're on a yacht, kinda.

If you’ve ever watched Below Deck (or been a guest on any full-service yacht), you know about preference sheets. One guest wants Topo Chico, exclusively in glass bottles. One guest is severely allergic to strawberries. One guest needs 1/4 teaspoon of grey Celtic sea salt sprinkled on each meal. The list goes on and on.

Below Deck consists of charter guests saying “Jump!”, and the crew saying “How high?”. This approach in the yachting industry might appear to be an extreme example of delivering a personalized customer experience, but it’s not far from what you should be providing for your customers; especially if in a luxury domain, a hospitality environment, or a potentially anxiety-inducing setting (doctors offices, I’m talking to you).

Preference sheets in yachting may be aimed at ensuring all desired food and drink options are available on board before heading out to sea, but there’s an added layer here. Getting detailed information from each charter guest on what they like to snack on or how they like their coffee in the morning allows the crew to anticipate the guests’ needs, deliver a customized experience, and delight each guest. As a result, guests feel listened to and cared for and are probably more likely to recommend the experience or service offered.

Preference Sheet Equivalence in Luxury Hospitality

Palm Heights on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman does this listening and caring-for thing seamlessly, proving you don’t necessarily need a yachting preference sheet to deliver a differentiated level of service. At a boutique hotel that magnetizes IT girls from L.A., DJs from Miami, and design-hungry couples from NYC, the staff here treats everyone as royalty; whether you’re celeb-level recognizable or not.

Richard D. (assumingly not celeb-level) wrote about his positive experience staying there in December of 2023 on TripAdvisor saying “What makes this hotel special is the level of service they provide without asking. Asked about Cuban cigars and the concierge Ayana had them in my room the next night for free!” Ayana didn’t have Richard’s preferences written out in advance; instead, she listened to her guest and took action she knew would make him feel special. Her effort to create a surprise-and-delight moment, mixed with the unparalleled experience you get at Palm Heights ensured that Richard had good things to say online, and likely via word of mouth when he returned home.

Photo of Palm Heights Interior

And Richard’s not the only one with positive remarks; just read

Emily

‘s official review on

Feed Me

and Rae Witte’s detailed experience on Dwell. After digging more into the Palm Heights experience, it’ll be hard not to crave a getaway where the caftan-wearing Mood Director, Bambi, drapes you with newfound high-vibrational energy and sets you up with whatever you desire, whether you’re an exclusive member of a popular model entourage or not.

Preference Sheet Equivalence in Medical Settings

Palm Heights’ efforts to personalize the guest experience may shine brighter than other boutique hotels, but when it comes to implementing a similar preference sheet level of personalization to yachting, a surprising industry is raising the bar, turning one of the most dreaded appointments into a cashmere-blanketed patient experience.

I don’t know many people who look forward to a dentist appointment or doctor’s office visit; and for good reason. The majority of medical offices I’ve been in are stark, boring, outdated, and staffed with medical professionals who treat you like a number (my amazing dental hygienist, Lauren, is absolutely not included in this observation).

It’s 2024! Medical settings should not elicit this type of cold, impersonal environment, especially as these appointments, procedures, and consultations tend to induce a fair amount of stress and anxiety for patients.

Melting all uneasy emotions away from the dentist experience sits Maison BE Dental Studio in Flatiron, injecting warmth and serenity into each patient experience. Upon arrival into the dental studio (that feels more like a luxury hotel lobby), each patient is greeted and invited to choose from a variety of spa-like options that elicit a calming energy and make you feel like you’re being “treated like gold”.

From aromatherapy to eye patches to noise-canceling headphones, Maison BE isn’t skimping on this dentist appointment disguised as a VIP spa visit. Former dentist haters and avoiders are doing a 180° after experiencing Maison BE and for good reason.

Maison BE Dental Studio’s version of a preference sheet.

The personalization techniques leveraged by yachting crews, Palm Heights, and Maison BE serve as a strong reminder that taking the time to prioritize and listen to customers’ desires goes a long way and delivers a powerful ROI. Just look at the raving reviews from TripAdvisor to Google, or ask anyone who’s been.

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Let me know your thoughts, especially if you’ve been to Palm Heights or Maison BE.

What other industries/brands are doing a great job at personalizing their experiences? What spaces do you see the potential for growth if they were to lean into their unique version of preference sheets?