I’ve always believed in the adage, "It’s not the lions and tigers that get you in the jungle. It’s the mosquitos." It’s those irritating little things that vendors do that just bug the heck out of us ("Your call is very important to us and your wait time is 23 minutes").

But what’s the opposite of a mosquito? What should we call that very way cool little thing that surprises and delights? I asked a group of clients that question yesterday and Leon Wirth, from CBA, had the best answer. Butterflies! I can’t think of anything better, so Leon, we’ll go with that.

I stayed at The Muse in mid-town Manhattan Sunday through Wednesday. On Tuesday morning, I brushed my teeth before leaving for the day. My little travel tube (less than 3 oz!) was squeezed pretty much to the end, so I made a mental note to stop by the nearest drugstore for a replacement.

I returned to my room later that afternoon. On the bathroom counter was a new tube of Colgate toothpaste.

I have no idea how many nights I’ve spent in hotels. Thousands. I’ve stayed in many of the top hotels and resorts in the world. Not ever…not once has ANY hotel or housekeeper ever left me a new tube of toothpaste when mine looked empty. Sure, I’ve been able to get toothpaste from some front desks when I asked for it. But nobody ever left one without being asked first.

You may have noticed from past posts I have have a bad attitude about hotels. I think most of them bend over backwards to be as UN-customer focused as possible. But as I’ve also said before there are exceptions to every rule and based on this week’s experience, I’d say The Muse is a big exception.

It doesn’t take much for a hotel or any company to make me happy. This time it was just a tube of toothpaste.