My #BookingHero
Booking.com asked all of its frequent travelers to tells something about someone that we can define a #BookingHero. Close to the end of this 2017 I can state who won my personal #BookingHero contest for this year.
This call to action shouted by Booking.com made me think about positive actions made by others. It brought my memories to several moments that I lived during business and leisure trips.
It seems a strange fact, but I meet my #BookingHero during one of my business trip, destination Mumbai.
If you are interested, you can read more about it here: Visiting Mumbai.
The trip
I visited that incredible city between fear and curiosity during my business trip in January.
My opinion once back is that Mumbai is one of the cities that all citizen of the World must visit due to the big variety of colors, people, food and interesting places that you will find during your journey there.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to visit all the city but only some key-places that we faced while moving from the airport to the hotel and while moving for business commitment.
Anyway, I’m happy that I didn’t visit all the city because now I have a reason why to come back here.
The story
Once landed at the airport, we met a colleague employed by the local branch of our company. He drove us to the Hotel, and he immediately saw our enthusiasm in asking about places that we crossed during our path. Due to his altruism, he allowed us to have a fast tour of the city and takes some pictures. Thanks to him now my photo gallery show me picture of places like the historical train station, Bandra-Worli Sea Link the bridge that allow people to cross the city without being stuck in the traffic of the city-center, the Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and the symbol of the British colonialism: the Gate of India.
All that happened few days before my birthday. I was happy to be there, but that was my first birthday away from my close friends and my family, and this fact made me sometimes a bit sad.
Then my birthday came and someone worked to make it a special day.
Early in the morning, instead of receiving a classical wake up by ringing my room’s phone, a Hotel employee knocked at my door. I was still sleepy and unconscious about the current date, time and place, but I woke up and opened the door.
I didn’t realize immediately what was happening, an Indian guy was in front of me with a bouquet of red roses. I watched him and I said “No, thanks…” while closing the door.
I was smiling alone and thinking that I had to tell my friends about this episode once back home when I heard the guy knocking again at my door. When I opened the door again, I saw his eyes full of apologies and his mouth telling me “Happy Birthday, Sir!”.
Only at that point I realized that roses was a gift from the hotel for my birthday, and he was not trying to sell them to me. I thank him for the gift, then close the door and prepare myself for my long working days.
The day continued as good as possible with some convivial moments during lunch and dinner together with my colleagues from Italy, India, Germany and United Kingdom.
At the end of this long day, we walked back until our hotel and here…
The surprise
On the elevator of the Hotel I was thinking about all good things that happened to me during the day, place I visited, interesting business people that I met and over…
Once in my room I founded the biggest surprise: Poonam Pandey!
Ahahahahah! No… I’m joking! I met Poonam at the airport while coming back to Italy.
The last surprise of the day was made by the General Manager of Trident Bandra Kurla that delivered to my room on a small table a Sacher cake with Happy Birthday on it, a package of candles, wooden matches, a couple of dishes and cutlery to share it.
I really appreciated this gift and for this reasons I decided to give him the prize for my personal #BookingHero contest for this 2017 that is coming to the end.
I will keep his handwritten letter with his wishes between my good memories.
Thanks, #BookingHero @bookingcom
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