Home + Hospitality Inusty » Delering Serica Excellence: 5 Lessons from Riz-Carton Delivering Service ‘xcellence: 5 Lessons from Ritz- Carlton Yigiao Zao e000 ‘wmen you opt ora fie-star hotel you expeet leur. Marble, no granite Siverwre, no stainless steel, Crystal rather than glass, A high threae count, You expect ne receptionist who welcomes you en artvalto speak your language. You anticpate valet parking or someone ‘o ‘show you to your room, relevng you ofthe Burden of your heavy sufcases. You presume the hotel restaurant, or indeed estaurants il serve exquisite cuisine at your beck and eal You ‘want acess to addtional facies a business center or spa, perheps. Of couse, hotels have to jump through cerain standardized hoops to qualify or thai five-star ‘atigs. But what realy makes a hotel stand out, other than superb design, an architectural edge or unbeatable location say, i far less concrete in nature, Far harder to ‘quantity. ts the way a hotel makes you feel. This abstract criterion relies on one thing above all: service excellence. Awell anchored service culture will allow a company create value, generate profits, grow organically and aequire the capacity to fend off the competition, André Mack Director at BHI Advisory Services ‘According to 2018 Gladly customer service expectation survey, 68% of customers are wiling ‘wpay moreit a company offered excellent sence, Nevertheles, the way to achleve service excellence may have some challenges to overcome: cuslomer demand and expectation, service Standares, delivery of service, consistency of service, opertionalissues 7‘The Ritz-Carlton: best in dass ‘men i comes to service excellence hovelindustry had ts “best practices eis no coincidence that the ite. Carfton logo alludes to ryaty, fortis isa hotel chan forthe (Queen hersef: Rest Luxury Hotel Chain 2017, Condé Nast God List 2016, Forbes Travel Guide 2015 Star Awards. The lst i seemingly ences. ‘What practices underpinning daytosday operations atthe RzCorton make eworthy of amare ater award? Thisis your step-by-step guide to emulating its service excellence best practices. Step I: Define your gold standards “Theis step towards any goals clearly defining that goal, Achieving service excellence fs no exception. To obtain you must know exactly wal you are striving for. The fit-Carton Hote! Company, LLC provides this cary vats Gold Standards, chet consisting of: 1 The Crede: inthis de facto mission satement, the Rle-Contlon defines guess care and comior as its number-one priority, describes the kind of atmosphere wishes to culate (warm, relaxed yet refines”, and sets out ts expectations for the Riz Carton experience. Seeking to “enliven the senses, instill well-being, and fulfil even ‘he unexpressed wishes and needs of guest”, ths credo clearly orlente towards serie excellence 1+ The Motto: hs spot of service excellence is bolle down to one succinct, memorable ‘fatement; “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.” + Three steps of Service: Demarcatng the customer journey, these three steps outline the ‘must-dos ofall hotelier guest interactions (cm (})2 warm welcome, (2) adaresting vests by name and antipating and fuling their neecs to (2) fond farewell + The Diamond: This adional goal secks to capture how the fit-Cariton afer rom ‘other fve-star hotels: thas a certain “mystique” and practices “emotional engagement”, all while providing “functionality” Perhaps we may consider these aspees in combination ae the hxury hotel eal’ USP. Step 2: Hire people who embody your standards ‘nce you have defined the framework for your culture of service excellence, you willed to ensure your saff are abletodelvar on your promises. This stars as early asthe selection process. Micah Solomon, author of The Hear of Hospi, recommends the "WETCO" approach in recruiting the kinds of people who are best suited to delivering service excellence. Tey should possess the following strengt + Warmth Empathy Teamwork Corscentausness Cptimistic explanatory syle Step: Equipund empower them 2aYou can assist your employees embodying a service excellence mindset by formulating “service values”. The Rez Carton has formulated twelve one-sentence service values, written inthe first person singular, consolidating the attitude its employees are expected ‘to assume. They ate orentes towards taking pride In one's work and professional conde exercising responsiilty while ake appreciating the matrix of roles chat lead to corporate success, and, above al beng tuned in o guests needs - whether they voice chem or not = an proactively seeking to provide them with “unique, memorable and personal experiences” ‘Training is crucolin delivering service excellence, This ls why the Rtx-Carton requires @ ‘minimum of 250 hours training of eoch employee each year and maximizes its impact by catering to different learning styles. Embracing your service values and drawing on ay traning shoul put employeesin good stead te delvera “calure of yer" (anther of Solomon's recommendations, always strving fo make ‘things possible, atner than explaining why they aren. the Rtz-Carton takes his one Step further by providing each of thee rontine employees with 3 dscretionary budget of USD 2,000, to sole any guest sues take steps to improve guess stays, Step 4: Get out oftheir way ‘The next step Isto commit toa leadership style thats conducive tothe desired culture of ‘service excellence Hors Schulze, co-founder ofthe Rie Cortton, understands how cempting may bet gue direct orders or overly spec nstrucion inthe heat of daly business, but recommends handing the baton back to employees whenever possible. Consultthe respective podcast archives here Step 5: Ensure consistency Having sid the foundation for service excellence and gven your employees the leeway to explore how they can optimize, ensure your customers wll encounter the same oustanding Sense every ime they cme 0 you “The Rit-Caron takes the hosptalty industry rational "dally ineup, which sees employees hud at the star of every shift ensurea smooth tanston from team to team tothe next, level by compiling tried and:-tested service solutions ina database, accessible by its International hotels. This ensures that any guest, visiting in any country, gets that Ritz Corton experience, And itis this trademark excellence that truly separates the wheat from the chaft. YVigiao Zhuo csocate at EL Advisory Services a6Got a story to share? 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