I had booked an EEO for the Leisure rate and forewarned, I brought 2 copies of the printout with me.

When I first arrived around midnight on Saturday, I was grouchy - I had started out in NY, connected in Atlanta, with an unhappy toddler a couple of rows away whose parent made no attempt to engage her or make her happy. The AirTrain to the rental car facility was having "momentary" problems that translated to waiting about 30 minutes on a cold platform. It was raining. And when I pulled up to the Marriott entrance, I was dismayed to see that the cars/limos/taxis were piled up 3 deep with the only doorman helping a bridal party.

So I pulled around the side, self-parked, and dragged my bags through the rain to check in. I was not a happy traveler.

I wish I had had the presence of mind to note the name of the FD clerk. He was fantastic. In less than 5 minutes, he not only turned me into a very happy customer but completely changed my mood. First off, he commiserated with my bedraggled condition. He noted that I was a Plat, welcomed me and *thanked me* for my business. He offered breakfast coupons for Sunday without my having to ask, agreed to have my welcome wine & fruit delivered at 6 pm on Saturday, told me that the lounge hours, and really made me feel like a valued customer.

When I got to my room, there were a couple of orchid buds on the bed! A first! As I settled into the very comfortable bed, I realized that I'd forgotten to mention the EEO rate and hand in the printout. Uh-oh, I thought, now I'm screwed.

But no, when I turned it in the next morning, the new FD clerk said no problem, she would make sure it was properly applied. Lo and behold, it was. First time for me...and they even magically comped my 2 nights of parking.

The restaurant staff and the folks in the CL were equally pleasant and helpful. I'm capable of some serious nit-picking when I travel and I couldn't find anything to complain about.

When I checked out Monday morning, I was truly sad to leave. I was moving over to the Embassy Suites where my colleague was staying and wishing I could stay.

As I reversed out of the parking space, I realized something was wrong. I pulled over at the hotel entrance and realized I had a flat tire. I was going to be late picking up my colleague and late to our first customer appointment. Damn. But again, the hotel came through. I asked the doorman if there was anyone who could change the tire for me and without hesitating, he offered to do it. He was quick and wonderful, and even had the grace to look surprised when I handed him $20 at the end. Jacky told me he'd been at the hotel for 4 years, that this (flat tire) happens all the time and that he was happy to help. Even with a quick trip to Hertz to swap cars, we made our customer appointment on time. It never would have happened if I'd had to call AAA.

I will be singing the praises of this hotel for a long time to come. Even a flat tire couldn't mar a perfect weekend at the San Mateo Marriott San Francisco Airport property!

Chris