I’ve been traveling the past two weeks for work and noticed some small conveniences that airlines, hotels, and rental car companies have provided and a lot of opportunities they have to go the extra mile for their customers without a lot of effort.

Restaurants

That’s convenient. Why doesn’t every service everywhere that wants a tip have this? I’m instantly inclined to tip more because of this simple little table. I think they could take it further and have the tip added in so I could just circle what total I want and sign. People love when they don’t have to think. Waitresses, bartenders, valets, and other people expecting tips love bigger tips. It’s win-win.

Rental Cars

Most people who rent a car are in a different city and don’t know any of the local radio stations. That’s why Sirius XM radio is so great. The station title gives away the genre, there aren’t any annoying commercials, and the music selection is better so you don’t have to hear the same 10 songs while you’re in town.

A feature most cars come with these days that’s often overlooked is an auxiliary audio input jack. It allows you to play your MP3 player through the car stereo, but not a lot of people pack the $4 cable when they travel so they can’t utilize the feature. It’s like a hotel room having an ironing board without an iron. Would it really be that hard for rental car companies to throw one in the glove box? If someone takes it or loses it, charge them double so you can buy two to replace it.

While they’re throwing stuff in the glove box why not include napkins, tissues, or a pen and pad? Some basic things everyone keeps in their car just like a hotel gives you shampoo, towels, and a TV.

Hotels

I stayed at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel last week, and they had something I had never seen before. The only way I can describe it is as an A/V box with HDMI, VGA, and RCA connectors. Then, in the desk drawer there was a VGA cable and an audio cable so you could hook up your laptop to the 36″ LCD TV. It was pretty well thought out and would allow for visitors to watch DVDs or stream Hulu or Netflix in their rooms.

The box was unique because it encouraged guests to plug in their own stuff. They obviously didn’t want guests getting behind the TV and messing with the cable and pay-per-view devices. The box even had a power outlet built into it so I wouldn’t have to get behind the dresser.

Before I move on, why does it cost a minimum of $10 for 24 hours of internet access in a hotel? Honestly!? It’s 2010.

Airlines

Like I said, I’ve been traveling for business which means taking the same flights every week, which also means seeing the same in-flight movies. They change out every couple weeks and are different going east and west, but still not a lot of people watch them even with free headphones from the airline.

So I came up with a fun idea to get more people engaged in the movie selecting process. Before each flight when you are checking in at a kios or online and picking your seat, why not also vote on which movie you’d like to watch? The movie with the most votes gets played. Simple as that.

Of course, I still prefer JetBlue’s DirecTV in each seat along with the option to watch a number of movies (for a price). I wouldn’t care what’s on if the airline has Wi-Fi. That is the ultimate in-flight convenience.

Conclusion

I love convenience because it saves time, energy, and frustration. It’s simple. Sometimes that comes at a price, but other times it just takes some creative thinking. It’s true I have come to expect the little things as a customer. I want my snack bags to reseal so they’ll be fresh later. I want my cases of beer to have the same fridge packs as my Diet Coke. I want others to stop overlooking all of these everyday conveniences that would be so simple to implement.