Ladies and Gentlemen
I’m writing this from the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, where I’m presenting at a conference.
{Rest assured that this is a long way from the hotels I usually stay at! In fact, it’s my first experience staying at a Ritz-Carlton.}
There’s a reason that the Ritz is The Ritz, and it isn’t about the setting (beautiful) or the rooms (luxurious) or the food (fabulous).
It’s about the people. Everyone from the doormen to the waiters to the housekeepers is uniformly professional, attentive, interested, courteous, polite, and clearly preoccupied with the comfort of the guests.
So how does that happen? There isn’t some magical pool from which the Ritz draws exceptional people. The answer, of course, is that it’s the culture. But I didn’t make the connection until I remembered an experience at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, and again at the one in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.
“Wait a second. I thought you’d never stayed in a Ritz before?”
True. But it turns out that those two properties buy extra virgin olive oil from DaVero, the small business my wife and I run. From time to time I make deliveries, and as I thought about it I finally connected my experience as a guest to my experience as a delivery guy. The receiving dock staff is every bit as professional and engaged as the people on the guest-services side.
When you walk into the employee entrance at the Ritz (which is where you make deliveries), there’s a sign:
Remember:
We are ladies and gentlemen
Serving ladies and gentlemen
It explains everything, from hiring to training to employee-to-employee interaction (which is indistinguishable from employee-to-guest interaction, by the way).
In short, it’s a daily reminder of the centerpiece of the culture, and sets a perfect tone.
What’s the first thing your employees see every day? What tone do you set — for yourself as well as for them?
December 9th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
There is a similar culture as Disney properties. One expects the “Disney” experience at one of their theme parks. Courtesy and service is what they are all about. One place I did not expect this sort of attitude to carry over too is the “Duck Pond” in Anaheim. I attended an event there many years ago and was struck by the demeanor of the staff from the ticket takers to the folks selling you food in the stands to the ushers. There was an air of excellence that these folks exuded. I had never had such service at any other sports venue. Then I remembered, Disney owns the Ducks and the Arena.
Excellence leaves a trail back to its origin…