This past week I spent a little time in the City of Brotherly Love — Philadelphia — and was pleasantly surprised by the service at the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia, Union Trust (a new restaurant) and Lagos, a jewelry store. The staff at the Ritz Carlton could not have been more helpful — from the parking attendant to the doormen to the front desk personnel to the cocktail waitress at the bar. I also enjoyed dinner at their restaurant, 10 Arts. The following night, I was a guest of one of the investors of the Union Trust Steakhouse on 7th and Chestnut. I attended the dinner through an association with my accountant, Kevin Ryan. What a place! Originally built in 1923 to house the Union Trust Bank of Philadelphia, it most recently was the home of a famous Philadelphia jeweler, Jack Kellmer Company. It was then abandoned. The building was neglected for many years and became the home of many of the city pigeons. “When I walked into the building, pieces of the ceiling were constantly falling down on our heads,” said a gentleman well connected to the team of owners and investors. The building has now been totally renovated, and the word on the street is that $12 million was spent to turn this rough piece of marble into the gem it is today. The once peeling and falling ceiling has been stripped, repainted and re-gilded to its former splendor. A second level and private rooms were added. The food is spectacular, with a plethora of prime steaks and chops and all the necessary sides. The table enjoyed a starter of shrimp, clams, oysters and stone crab. I followed that with an iceberg lettuce wedge salad and rack of lamb. The restaurant has two happening bars, which were both packed last Thursday (what recession?!?!). One is on the first floor and the other is on the second. Investors Joe Grasso and John Dunfee were holding court at the bar, entertaining people who will surely be back and spreading the good word. I hope you all have the opportunity to try Union Trust! Lastly, we can all learn a great deal about customer service from Lagos in Philadelphia. I had returned cuff links there several months before for repair, and the clerk could not have been more apologetic for the breakage — which frankly was my fault. They insisted on repairing at their expense and apologized profusely for the problem. I picked up the repaired item last week. They again apologized, and they had polished my cuff links as well. So, it all comes down to customer service, which is something we can all use in the travel industry. I believe I experienced some of the best customer service in the country last week in Philadelphia at the Ritz Carlton, Union Trust and Lagos. -Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO