“It was just a pen” – Stories from the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

I have on numerous occasions shared the legendary service mentality of the Ritz-Carlton exhibited by its Ladies and Gentlemen all over the globe. A couple of days ago, I came across yet another book extolling the impeccable service culture of this company. Written by Joseph A. Michelli (McGraw- Hill, 2008), The New Gold Standard is filled with stories and anecdotes from the Ritz-Carlton experience.

In one such instances Brian Gullbrants, vice president of operations shares the story of how the company decided to change the pens that they have been using. As they realized that they have been using the same type of pen for many years, they decided to have a newer one comparable to that of their competitors. However, due to un-characteristically careless decision making and a failure to pay attention to details they found the new pens to be of poor quality which were later recalled and the whole process repeated until the perfect pen was found. They realized that for the Ritz-Carlton, 'it is not just a pen'! It is about a service that should be unrivalled in ALL aspects. Then there is another story of how in one of their new hotels, the swimming pool was built in such a way that it is in the shade for much of the day ( of course we Asians would probably love that).

But then this is the legend of the Ritz-Carlton. It is such a great hotel company that we tend to learn valuable lessons not only from its success stories but also from its mistakes and recovery. After each service lapse, they seem to come back stronger. After each natural disaster, they seem to win more friends.

What makes this company such a great service provider? I believe this has something to do with its value proposition to its employees (the Ladies & Gentlemen). Somehow ingrained in its leadership genes is the importance that need to be paid to those who really make a difference in their business – the cleaners, the house-keepers and the kitchen staff. These are the Ladies and Gentlemen on whom the service quality of the Ritz-Carlton rests on.

There is something special that the leaders of a company need to do to gain such a level of service mentality as exhibited by the Ladies and Gentleman of the Ritz-Carlton. I am not sure what that is although the writer has identified a few factors. I still feel there is something more here. Maybe you could phantom what that is after reading the following story as described on pages 13-14 of the book:

Natalie Salazar was a 12 year old figure skater just one step away from Olympic qualifications when she was diagnosed with cancer. One year later she was told that she will not make it. At that tender age, her only regret was that she could not make it to the school’s prom night.

This tragic story was shared by Mrs.Lewis, Natalie’s teacher, at a church in whose attendance was Laura Gutierrez, the area director of human resources at Ritz-Carlton Dearborn. Laura shared it with her Ladies and Gentlemen and they decided to do something about it.

With a spontaneous service mentality so characteristic of the company, they hosted a prom night at the hotel attended by Natalie’s 18 class mates and skating team members. The entire do was manned by the Ladies and Gentlemen with no external contractors involved. The audiovisual technician was the DJ while the IT technician became the official photographer. They put all the decorations befitting a ball for a princess and Natalie danced the night away with an ever present smile on her face. She ate all her favorite food and had all her favorite songs played. At the end of the night she was led away to a waiting chariot to be taken home for rest as she was scheduled for some tests at the hospital the next day. Tears flowed freely and her parents choked with emotion watching their little girl having the night of her dreams.

On Thursday, September 20 2007, Natalie Salazar succumbed to the ravages of cancer. She was buried in a dress sown by the Ritz’s seamstress who also sew her ball dress.

Why would a group of ordinary wage earners go to such an extent to make a difference?
Because they are the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company!