Photos courtesy of Ritz-Carlton
“ Most Ritz-Carltons are in an urban environment. This has more of a suburban appeal.”
THE RITZ-CARLTON LEGACY is built around a set of“ gold standards” for customer service. The motto( Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen) is applied through the“ principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment.” The gold standard“ service values” not only guides employees’ principles for customer service but also encourages creativity and innovation to help improve the Ritz-Carlton experience.
“ The Ritz-Carlton fosters a work environment where diversity is valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled, and The Ritz-Carlton Mystique is strengthened.” is part of the“ employee promise” standard.
Ritz-Carlton is acclaimed for its‘$ 2,000 rule’, whereby guest-service employees are empowered to spend up to that amount in handling a potential customer concern. Attention to guests’ personal needs is paramount.“ Ritz- Carlton wants its guests to have the utmost experience,” Whittall said, so they will become future customers for life.
For other hospitality-associated groups to replicate these standards,“ they should be attentive to the anticipated needs of the guests. They should have things that the guests want ready for them— so they don’ t even have to ask for anything.” He said they should try to make sure that guests get the maximum attention to make the most of their stay.
THE HISTORY AND HERITAGE of Ritz- Carlton dates back to the early 20 th century when legendary Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz opened The Ritz hotel in Paris and The Carlton in London. The company expanded in 1927 with the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Boston, the first in the United States. Throughout the decades, the brand name and company were acquired and expanded to new locations. It was acquired by Marriott International in the mid-1990s— furthering the emphasis of gold standard service.
From the very beginning, the hotel customer experience has been branded as luxury, focused on detail and personal attention— so that all guests can be‘ Puttin’ On the Ritz.”
Isaac Toledano
David Castagnacci worked at the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce for 31 years where he served as Executive Director of the Volusia County Association for Responsible Development( VCARD), a non-profit association of planning and development professionals. Prior to that, he was a news reporter and New Smyrna Beach Bureau Chief for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
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