Jawad and Kassif manned the reception desk Saturday night (Aug. 19, 2006) at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield VA, wearing smart black suits and ties, white shirts, and broad smiles. To each guest who approached they offered a polite "Yes, sir," or "Yes, ma'am" in greeting, and asked how they might be of help. Pinned to their lapels were 2-inch round buttons, with white backgrounds and black lettering that matched their working attire. "Service. 10," the buttons proclaimed.

Around the corner and down the hall from the hotel lobby was Mauricio, tending the open bar during a post-bat mitzvah celebratory dinner for 130 people. The drink requests were varied; one, a simple chablis; another, a whiskey sour; a third, a tad more exotic. But like his colleagues at reception, Mauricio gave each reveler his best grin and deferential treatment. To keep the line moving he handled two and three glasses at a time, and never spilled a drop. He, too, wore the button: "Service. 10."

Posters that stood atop tables in front of elevators on every floor of the hotel explained the buttons. The Hilton's customer service program demands that each staff member render service that rates a 10, highest and best on a scale of 1-to-10. If problems arise ... if service is less than perfect in the guest's eyes ... management wants to know about it. The posters even list a phone number to call to register and resolve complaints.

Rating and reporting on hotel service, whether it's poor or outstanding, certainly is nothing new. Professional critics do it all the time, particularly if they are travel writers paid to alert their readership about such things. Ratings now extend beyond the pros, though. Several websites devote a portion of their content solely to what everyday travelers like you and me think about the places we stay. Take a look at MyTravelGuide.com, TripAdvisor.com, TravelPost.com, or Ratings.net to learn what people really think when they venture out-of-town. Some of their unvarnished opinions are scathing. 

Negative comments affect future business. Last week's visiting salesperson readily chooses to stay next week with competitors across the street if service slips, even a little. So hoteliers track and compare the rise and fall of occupancy rates, revenue per room, and length of guest stays directly with the ebb and flow of traveler commentary on service.

There are lessons here for those of us in real estate, a business that is as service-oriented, client-centric, and competitively cut-throat as the lodging industry.

Client comments on real estate agents' and brokers' service can be just as scathing, or worse. They're angered by unfulfilled promises, unfair treatment, ethical lapses, mishandled transactions, and much more. Practitioners generally have such a poor reputation that, in the recently announced (July 26, 2006) results of an annual Harris Poll that measures public perceptions of 23 professions and occupations, work in real estate ranked among the least prestigious jobs on the list.

In the past only the most disgruntled clients told a broker about shoddy representation they received from an agent. A few sued, for there's nothing like hitting the broker with legal action to get his or her attention. Too many simply chose a different broker and different agent for their next deal, a few years down the road. But, as in travel, critics of real estate service today are much more vocal. They vent their thoughts on Angie's List, on local community websites, and on blog after blog after blog.

If you serve a client poorly, the odds are high that word about your lack-of-performance is already "out there" on the web, for others to read and keep their distance. On the other hand, if you're getting more referral business than ever, the odds are equally high that the web word on you is good.

Which ultimately means this: like the Hilton's Jawad, Kassif and Mauricio, we all wear buttons that beg the question, "Does my service rate a 10?" It's just that some are more visible than others.