Leave a Lasting Footprint principle, 15 Lewis, Betty, 159 Lineup, 37–42 function of, 38–39 limitations and strengths of, 40–41 as modeling, 41–42 origin of, 39–40 Listening: to business partners, 139–142 culture of, 137 Loyalty of customers, 165–166 Luxury consumer demographics, 47–50 (See also Relevance) Luxury Industry Panel, 47–48 Lytle, Julie, 104–105 M Mady, Ed, 53, 56, 65, 75, 78, 87–88, 106, 152 Mainguy, Peter, 56 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, 7–9, 28, 120–124, 216 Managers, orientation of, 85–89 Mangione, Daniel, 91, 113–114, 149–150 Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI), 9 Marnier-Lapostolle, Alexandre-Louis, 3 Marriott International, 6–7 Martinez, Francisca, 78–79, 100 McCarty, Chris, 134 McConville, Kevin, 41–42, 128–130 McCrorey, Charrise, 108 McMurtry, Jeanette, 165–166 Meaningful Meetings program, 244–245 Meehan, John, 243 Memorable experiences, 195–196 Miller, Mark, 48, 49 Mira, Tony, 13, 77 Misani, Nicola, 232 Mission statements, 43, 228–229 (See also Credo) Mistakes (see Service breakdowns) MMHI (Market Metrix Hospitality Index), 9 Mobil Five-Star Awards, 8, 9 Modeling by leadership, 41–43 Moje, Christoph, 87 Monarch Hotel Group, 6 Most Prestigious Luxury Brand, Luxury Institute, 9 Motto, The, 26–30 MR. BIV, 155–156 Mullican, Elena, 252–253 Mystique database, 147–155 collecting information for, 148–150 impact of using, 150–151 privacy issues with, 153, 154 risk factors in use of, 151–155 N Nadonza, Mark D., 197 New hotel openings, 83–85, 234 Nicklaus, Jack, 256 Noncustomers, service to, 201–202 O Oberstein, Jennifer, 251 O’Neal, Shaquille, 239 Operational Dynamics, 171–172 Oreck, Diana, 24–25, 29, 62, 133, 155–156, 216, 218, 221–222 Orientation: for new employees, 79–81 for new managers, 85–89 P Panayiotou, Katerina, 188–189 Paredes, Rubén, 199 Pearson, Maurice, 25, 106–107 Pericles, 165 Perry, William P., Jr., 108 Phillips, Bob, 207–209 Physical environment, relevance of, 50–55 Pidgeon, Walter P., 241–242 Pivato, Sergio, 232 Pizza Hut, 54–55 Playfulness, 202–203 Index 281
“Preference pads,” 148 Preferences, gauging, 152–153 Premtaj, Marty, 66 Previsit customer contact, 149 Privacy of information, 153, 154, 176–177 Process standards, 54 Product standards, 54 Profitability, 95–97, 228 Promises: employee, 98–101 reputation for keeping, 101–103 Q Quality, commitment to, 7–10 Quality improvement, 119–145 for customer satisfaction, 131–138 learning from others’ excellence for, 120–126 through local involvement in business processes, 142–144 and needs of business partners, 139–142 by understanding changes in customer base, 138–139 for workforce engagement, 126–131 Quality improvement teams, 142–143 Quality leaders, 134, 157 R Radar On/Antenna Up course, 158–160 Recruitment, 78 Rehmann, Ken, 101, 102, 135, 142–143 Reid, Angella, 241 Relationship, training through, 85–89 Relevance, 44–69 challenges in maintaining, 261–262 and changes in company image, 67–69 of customer database information, 148–149 for employees, 102 to needs of community, 57–61 of physical environment, 50–55 service values for, 61–67 various forms of, 55–57 Renaghan, Leo, 175 Respect, 103–105 Responsibility, 180–182, 225 Return value, 241–242 Reynolds, Mercer, 239 Ripert, Eric, 140 Ritz, César, 1, 3–4, 16 Ritz, Charles, 5 Ritz, Marie, 2 Ritz-Carlton Club, 208–211 Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company,The, 1–16 commitment to quality in, 7–10 essence of, 12–16 history of, 2–7 lessons learned from, 10–12 volunteer hours and product donations by, 233 Ritz-Carlton Investing Company, 2 Ritz-Carlton Management Company, 5 Ritz-Carlton Mystique: database for, 147–155 definition of, 65 Ritz-Carlton Residences, 210–212 Ryder, Sandra, 20 S Salazar, Natalie, 13–15 Saldivia, Miguel, 199 Sanders, Robin, 88–89 Savarino, Paul, 248–249 Sbraga, Kevin, 194 Scenography, 52–53 Schinnerl, Erwin, 105–106 Schulze, Horst: biography of, 27–28 and company difficulties, 6 on cutting costs, 8 on employee selection, 259–260 on home-away-from home experiences, 172–173, 177–178 on hotel openings, 24 and lineup, 39–40 on losing leadership, 262 on mission statement, 228–229 on The Motto, 26–27, 29 on strengthening communities, 251 Index 282
Service breakdowns: empathy during, 155–158 empowering employees to resolve, 111–112 impact of, 156 as MR. BIV incidents, 155–156 negative impact of, 182–184 steps in resolving, 182 tracking, 156–157 Wow experiences with, 177–178 Service standards, 54 Service Values, 36–37, 61–67 cultural change for, 62–63 guidelines for, 63–64 hierarchical structure of, 64–65 initial resistance to, 65–66 20 Basics vs., 62–64 Wow stories involving, 191–192 Shared communication, 168–170 Sheehan, Brian, 33 Shurter, Steve, 242–243 Silone, Ignazio, 44 Sjostrand, Mildred, 198 Smith, Kathy, 81, 100–101, 108–109, 128 Smith, Sydney, 73 Social giving/volunteer programs, 229–230, 235–242 Solectron Corporation, 122 Standards, unchangeable vs. refined, 53–55 (See also Gold Standards) Staros, Ed, 6–8, 23–24, 36, 39–40, 111–112, 250–251, 264 Stephenson, Sue, 22, 98–99, 230, 233–234, 241, 244, 246–247 Stewardship (see Corporate social responsibility) Strayer, Susan, 78 Strong, Audrey, 234 Strong, Jim, 9 Strong, Nancy, 139–140 Subtle attentiveness, 175–176 Sun, Andy, 192 Sustainability (see Corporate social responsibility) SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analyses, 143–144 T Tabletop Pyramid for the 2008 Key Success Factors, 96–97 Talbot, Deborah, 229–230 Talent, selecting employees by, 75 Team One, 48, 68 Teamwork, 87–88, 197–201 Tencati, Antonio, 232 Terry, Ellen, 240 Thomas, Ronald, 253–254 Thompson, Maria, 25, 149 Thoughtful service, 184–185 3Cs of quality, 157 Three Steps of Service, 30–33 Thundil, Raveendran, 195 Tichy, Noel M., 191 Timmerman, John, 63, 65–66, 121–124, 128–129, 135, 157, 258 Traditions, 43, 258 Training: awards for, 9 brand extensions through, 213–222 for empathy, 158–160 excellence in, 212–213 of new employees, 82–85 through relationship, 85–89 Training Magazine, 214 Travel Industry Advisory Council, 139–140 Trust, 94–116 and Employee Promise, 98–101 and empowerment, 108–112 and honesty/authenticity, 107–109 from keeping promises, 101–103 as more than a word, 103–105 results of, 112–115 and staff engagement, 105–107 and stretching of human resources, 95–98 T3, the, 142–143 Turner, Sandy, 194 Turtle Camp, 249–250 20 Basics, 33–37, 62–64 U Unmet/unstated guest needs, 159–160 Index 283
V Valentin, Alexandra, 21, 90, 143, 218 Vallejo, Emily, 203 Values, 43 (See also Service Values) Van Geenen, Roberto, 83–84 Vargas, Melody Treece, 176–177 Viking Range Corporation, 225 Volunteerism, 229–230, 235–242 W Wall Street Journal, 20 Walsh, Kevin, 148, 153, 154, 219 Watkins, Michael, 86 Watson, Robert E., 12, 50–51 Weaver, Gary, 109 Webb, Cherie Y., 40, 215–216 Well-being, delivering, 178–179 Westbrook, Paul, 45, 47–48, 238–239 White-glove test, 257–258 White Oak Conservation Center, 242–243 Whitley, Richard, 31–32 Widzer, Joel, 173 Wooden, Laurie, 44–45, 138 Wow experiences, 165–186 when breakdowns happen, 177–178 by delivering well-being, 178–179 in extraordinary circumstances, 179–180 first impressions in, 166–168 and negative impact of problems, 182–184 and privacy of information, 176–177 Wow experiences, (cont’d) through sense of belonging, 170–172 shared communication for, 168–170 through subtle attentiveness, 175–176 by tailoring to guest’s needs, 172–175 through taking responsibility, 181–182 from uncommonly thoughtful service, 184–185 Wow stories, 187–204 awards for, 189–190 of emotional engagement, 193–195 of functional excellence, 191–193 learning from, 187–189 of memorable experiences, 195–196 of playfulness and creativity, 202–203 of service to noncustomers, 201–202 of small acts of kindness, 196–197 of teamwork, 197–201 X Xerox Corporation, 122 Y Young, Melissa, 76 Z Zore, Ed, 52 Zytec Corporation, 122 Index 284
About the Author Dr. Joseph Michelli is an organizational consultant and the chief experience officer of The Michelli Experience. He has dedicated his career to studying successful businesses, both large and small. Prior to The New Gold Standard, Dr. Michelli authored the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and USA Today best seller The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary. Additionally, he coauthored When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace with John Yokoyama, the owner of the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. Dr. Michelli transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices through his keynote speeches and workshops. These informative and entertaining presentations, which are provided by Dr. Michelli and his associates, focus on the skills necessary to D Create meaningful customer experiences D Drive employee and customer engagement D Enhance a commitment to service excellence D Create quality improvement processes Copyright © 2008 by Joseph A. Michelli. Click here for terms of use.
D Increase employee morale In addition to dynamic keynote presentations offered globally, The Michelli Experience offers D Consultation on the development of optimal customer and employee experiences D Service excellence training D Enhancement of staff empowerment D Leadership team development services D Group facilitation and team-building strategies D Creation of customer and employee engagement measurement processes D Customized management and frontline training programs Dr. Michelli is eager to help you bring The New Gold Standard fully to life in your business. He can be reached through contact information on his Web site, www.themichelliexperience. com, or by calling either (719) 473-2414 or (888) 711-4900 (toll free within the United States). Visit yournewgoldstandard.com for interviews with the president, founders, and corporate executives from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company; resources; podcasts; and an interactive blog.