How a Massage Therapist Delivered Excellent Customer Service and Saved Bonneville Hot Springs
It’s a misty mid-week morning in the Pacific Northwest. My husband and I decide to hit the F-it button and make last-minute plans for a day trip to Bonneville Hot Springs, about an hour outside of Portland.
We’ve booked online — as required — paid our hundred bucks, and made the drive through the Columbia River Gorge, counting down the miles to our outdoor soak surrounded by cathedral fir trees.
The point of going to Bonneville: the open-air hot spring tub and cold plunge, nature all around you, the antithesis of the indoor city spa.
We arrive and check in. The place is empty. My husband heads to the locker room. I head toward the outdoor section — and stop dead. A sign. Closed.
Two Employees. Zero Help.
The lifeguard is strolling in from another part of the facility, clapping his hands loudly with swinging arms for no apparent reason. I tell him the outdoor area is closed. He confirms it. I explain we drove from Portland specifically for the outdoor pools. He shrugs and glares. “I don’t have anything to do with that.” Dead silence. Intensifying glare.
My husband has the exact same experience minutes later. No radio call. No “let me find out.” Just a look that said: why are you bothering me?
I walk back to the spa lobby. Another couple is already there, visibly frustrated. I explain our situation to the woman behind the desk. She too shrugs, displaying pure resting bitch face. Another couple nearby tells me they’d had the same experience. No apology. No action. Nobody drives from Portland for the indoor pool — we have hundreds of those. Everyone comes for the outdoor experience, and it was sitting behind a closed gate.
Any form of: “That’s not my problem.” — Four words that represent every business’s worst nightmare, when spoken aloud to a paying customer.
👼Customer Service Angel of the Week: Melissa
I go back to where my husband is to grab my stuff and ponder whether I want to go full throttle Karen and ask for a refund or stay indoors. (Not why we drive all this way). I finally head back to the spa desk to try and get the refund when a new woman appears. She overheard everything. She steps in — not because it was her job, but because she is simply that kind of person.
Her name is Melissa. She’s a massage therapist at Bonneville. She has zero formal responsibility for this situation. Not the manager, not the facilities coordinator — by her own admission, “just a massage therapist.” And yet she delivers the only actual customer service of the entire day, arguably of any visit we’ve made in the fifteen years we’ve been coming here. Yes, Bonneville is notorious for this. They even went out of business once before coming back with the same service culture — the kind that puts businesses out of business.
Melissa looked at me and said the exact opposite of “that’s not my problem”: “I totally get it.” She made some calls, tracked down the issue — it appears from the scurrying we witness that a maintenance worker had gone to lunch mid-task, leaving the cold plunge unfilled with no timeline communicated to anyone.
That’s it. With that and with no communication, they had pissed off at least three couples who drove all the way out there from Portland to go in the outdoor spa.
Within minutes he was back, the work was done, and the outdoor hot springs opened. Dozens of guests poured in who, without Melissa, would have simply left. Did I mention she got them to give us our money back and simultaneously invited us to stay. (This was before we knew that the gate to the outdoor spa would be opened at our behest with Melissa’s help). Without her, the answer was “we have no idea. This is not my problem.”
We stayed. We soaked. We had a wonderful afternoon. One memorable moment: I told Melissa, “You gave us great customer service today.” She looked genuinely touched — and gave me a mini tour, including a secret indoor cold plunge I didn’t even know existed. (Also out of service but kinda cool that it exists). She was excellent all around.
What Went Wrong. What Went Right.
- ✕No email alerting guests the outdoor pools were unavailable
- ✕No communication with staff so they could inform guests
- ✕No signage, no contingency plan
- ✕Lifeguard: “I don’t have anything to do with that”
- ✕Spa desk: giving resting bitch face, zero empathy
- ✕No employee took ownership initially
- ✕Multiple guests left without information or options
- ✓Stepped in voluntarily — zero obligation
- ✓Led with empathy: “I totally get it”
- ✓Took immediate ownership
- ✓Did not nickel-and-dime; issued refund
- ✓Gave tour and found secret indoor cold plunge
- ✓Investigated root cause, communicated clearly
- ✓Resolved the issue for all guests, not just us
The Gold Standard — and Who Sets It
At The Secret Shopper, every business gets held up against the best. For customer service, that’s always The Ritz-Carlton — two-time Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winner, and the model Steve Jobs used when building the Apple Store experience. Their philosophy: every employee, from housekeeping to the front desk, is empowered to spend up to $2,000 per incident without manager approval to resolve a guest problem. The point isn’t the money — it’s that no one gets to say “that’s not my problem.” The company has made it every employee’s job — and privilege — to care.
The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards and how Bonneville Hot Springs measures up
Five Service Standards That Actually Retain Guests (and Build Loyalty)
In hospitality, the difference between a forgettable visit and a loyal returning guest is rarely about the facility itself. It comes down to how people are treated, especially when something goes wrong. These five standards separate average service from the kind that builds real trust and long-term retention.
Lead With Presence, Not Procedure
First impressions are not about scripts or checklists. They are about presence. Guests can immediately tell whether they are being welcomed or brushed aside.
At Bonneville, interactions felt cold and transactional, creating an environment where guests expected resistance.
Melissa stepped in with direct eye contact, a calm tone, and genuine attentiveness. She made it clear right away that the guest was seen and valued, which instantly shifted the experience.
Solve the Problem Beneath the Problem
Most guests do not articulate the true issue. The complaint they voice is often just the surface.
At Bonneville, staff observed frustration but remained passive, waiting for explicit direction.
Melissa understood that the issue was not about a refund. It was about restoring the guest’s experience. She addressed the underlying need and moved toward a real solution rather than a quick dismissal.
Take Full Ownership—No Hand-Offs
From the guest’s perspective, there are no departments. There is only one business. Passing responsibility creates friction and breaks trust.
At Bonneville, the issue was repeatedly redirected, with each employee deflecting responsibility.
Melissa took full ownership. She made the necessary calls, coordinated internally, and stayed engaged until the situation was resolved. That level of accountability is what guests remember.
Respond With Empathy Before Action
Efficiency without empathy feels impersonal. Action without understanding feels incomplete. The sequence matters.
At Bonneville, there was no acknowledgment or emotional awareness.
Melissa led with empathy. A simple statement acknowledging the frustration created immediate connection and diffused tension. From there, action had meaning and impact.
Protect the Relationship, Not the Transaction
Focusing too narrowly on policy or short-term outcomes often leads to long-term loss.
Without intervention, the Bonneville experience would have ended in frustration and a lost customer.
Melissa understood that making it right was not a cost. It was an investment in trust, retention, and reputation. That perspective is what turns a negative moment into a lasting positive impression.
Great service is not defined by when everything goes smoothly. It is defined by how situations are handled when they do not. That is where loyalty is either lost or built.
You Never Know Who’s Watching
The woman at the front desk didn’t know I write about customer service. The lifeguard didn’t know we’ve been coming to Bonneville for fifteen years. Melissa didn’t know either — but it didn’t matter to her, because she’s just like that with everyone. Kind.
The outdoor springs at Bonneville are genuinely magical — open sky, cathedral firs, natural hot water. No spa in Portland can replicate it. But Bonneville is behaving exactly the way it did before it went out of business the first time. Now that investors have rescued the property, it’s time to step up. Portland is full of potential regulars who would happily come mid-week and pay more. With this kind of service, the place is back on its old familiar track downward.
Great customer service doesn’t require a luxury budget or an army of trained staff. A waitress at Shari’s, grandmother to three, might outshine a snooty waiter at a Michelin-star restaurant who knows everything about confit and nothing about kindness. Melissa didn’t have authority, a title, or a protocol. She had empathy — and that turned what could have been a lost afternoon into one we still talk about. Every business has the power to hire a Melissa. The question is whether they bother to look for her and then get out of her way.
By the way, be sure to book Melissa for your next massage at Bonneville Hot Springs – and don’t forget to tip big. This is an excellent human being. She should be running the place.
Next Issue: We take our shopping bag to a Portland institution and ask: has the experience kept up with the reputation? Subscribe to The Secret Shopper for the verdict.
