Service isn’t enough: It’s time for estate agents to deliver theatre

Estate agency has a service problem. Not a bad service problem – a forgettable one.

Too many agents stop at efficiency, when the real money, reputation and loyalty live in the realm of hospitality.

Luxury hotels and fine dining restaurants command eye-watering prices for rooms and meals that, if we’re honest, aren’t vastly different from what you could get elsewhere. What you’re paying for is the detail, the theatre, the experience – the feeling that someone has anticipated your needs before you’ve even voiced them.

And that’s where estate agents can learn a thing or two. While we like to call ourselves a “service industry,” much of what passes for service is really just process: emails, viewings, valuations, completion. Efficient? Sure. Memorable? Forget about it.

But let’s look at what “five-star” really means.

When a family arrived at the Ritz-Carlton in Bali with special eggs and milk for their allergic son, they found them broken and spoiled. Most hotels might have dismissed this as a problem of the customer’s own making. The Ritz-Carlton’s chef instead sourced replacements 1,600 kilometres away in Singapore. His mother-in-law personally flew them in. The parents left with a story they would tell for the rest of their lives.

At another Ritz-Carlton, a lost toy giraffe named Joshie was returned to its owner not just by post, but with a full photo album of Joshie’s “extended holiday” – lounging by the pool, helping security, living his best life. The father shared it on the Huffington Post, and suddenly the Ritz-Carlton’s care and consideration had earned them an international audience.

In the restaurant world, Morton’s Steakhouse once delivered a porterhouse steak to an airport because a loyal customer tweeted a joke about wanting one on arrival. A tuxedo-clad waiter met him at the gate, steak in hand. The stunt went viral, winning millions of views and untold goodwill.

And at Eleven Madison Park, one of New York’s most celebrated fine dining restaurants, a group of diners once mentioned they hadn’t managed to try a New York street hot dog. Minutes later, the kitchen sent one out – on fine china, beautifully plated, and topped with caviar. Another couple who’d cancelled a beach holiday found themselves dining in a private room filled with sand, umbrellas, and cocktails; the restaurant literally brought the beach to Manhattan. And it paid off – Eleven Madison Park was later named the best restaurant in the world, and its co-owner Will Guidara went on to literally write the book on exceptional customer service.

A bank – that least cuddly of institutions – proved that it could needlessly exceed customer expectations. When TD Bank unveiled its “Automated Thanking Machine”, customers expected another cash ATM. Instead, it dispensed gifts. A widowed mum received tickets to Disneyland for her children. A pensioner found himself holding a bouquet of roses. Another customer got a flight to visit a sick relative. Every gift was deeply personal, drawn from the stories staff had quietly collected over time from their customers. Reactions of tears, laughter, disbelief went viral overnight. TD Bank reminded its customers that behind the spreadsheets, they were humans who’d been listening all along.

Even airlines, not exactly known for infusing their customers with joy, have shown what’s possible. WestJet’s “Christmas Miracle” saw staff secretly buy gifts passengers wished for mid-flight, so when they landed, the luggage carousel was filled with wrapped presents. The video has since clocked tens of millions of views and cemented WestJet’s reputation for humanity in a cold, transactional sector.

And sometimes, the magic is as simple as pizza at 30,000 feet. When a United Airlines flight was stranded late at night, a captain bought 30 pizzas for hungry passengers. As every despairing estate agency manager knows, pizza makes everything better.

So what’s the lesson for us?

Hospitality at this level isn’t about opulence, but observation. It’s about listening carefully enough to spot the small, human detail you can turn into delight. A hot dog, a child’s toy, a thoughtful gift.

And when we translate that to estate agency, the same rule applies. The best experiences don’t have to be costly, just considered.

Imagine a valuer who notices a child’s artwork pinned to the fridge and later sends a little “new home” sketch pad with a thank-you note. A negotiator who logs that a client’s completion date coincides with their anniversary and arranges a card and bottle to be waiting in the new home. Or a branch that swaps its generic welcome pack for something genuinely local – pastries from the bakery next door, coffee from the roaster down the street, a hand-written “welcome to the neighbourhood” from the team.

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re human ones. And they transform the ordinary into the unforgettable.

The commercial payoff is real. The Ritz-Carlton’s tales of kindness became global PR gold. WestJet’s Christmas video generated millions of new customers. Morton’s steak stunt multiplied its social following overnight. When people feel cared for, they talk about it – and talk, in our business, means referrals, reviews, and repeat instructions.

Personal touches are the cheat-code to building more meaningful relationships.

The truth is, buyers and sellers don’t just want agents who are just competent – they want to feel special, seen, and remembered.

That’s what five-star hospitality delivers. And in a world of lookalike agencies and samey slogans, it might just be the thing that makes yours stand out.