LEGEND
THE BACK STORY Schulze is also filled with passion when recalling great stories about his path to legendary status , which started with his first post as a 14-year-old working for a maître d ' at Kurhaus in Bad Neuenahr , Germany . He told young Horst , “ Tomorrow morning , show up at 7 o ' clock . Be punctual , but don ’ t come to work . Come to be excellent .” That went over his head at the time , but Schulze says it stayed with him . “ He was a man of excellence ,” Schulze notes .
Two years later , while in school , Schulze was asked to write an essay about his experience . That same night while working at the resort , something happened that changed his life dramatically . “ I felt the maître d ’ walk in . When he walked in , you could feel it ,” Schulze says . “ And when he approached a table that night I realized that those guests were proud that he came to them . When I sat down that night to write my essay , I realized he defined himself as a gentleman . That ’ s why people respected him . For the first time in my life , at 16 , I realized I define myself . I can define myself even though I am only a busboy . I can define myself . It was so overwhelming . It stayed with me .”
Fast forward to 1965 and a room service waiter position in San Francisco after having worked at the Plaza Athénée in Paris , France , the Savoy in London , England , and some of the finest hotels in Europe . Schulze was hoping to get promoted to room service supervisor , and the manager was German . He assumed he had it made — but someone else was promoted . “ I really suffered and it took me about three months to realize this guy deserved it more ,” Schulze says , noting how he would sometimes come to work a little late after partying the night before .
When he realized his transgressions , he went back to his little furnished apartment in San Francisco ’ s Tenderloin District and “ talked ” to the old maître d ' who had passed away years earlier . “ I said , ‘ I ' m sorry . I promised I would go to work for excellence , and I went to work for work . This will never ever happen again . I will go to work for excellence ,’” Schulze said . He even wrote on his mirror , “ Go to work for excellence ,” reminding himself every day of his mission . “ I didn ’ t go to work anymore ,” he adds .
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL THING TO DO , TO RESPECT A HUMAN . YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING WHO COMES IN YOUR PLACE OF HOSPITALITY AND IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT .
– HORST SCHULZE
By the way , the essay Schulze wrote back when he was 16 was titled , “ We Are Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen ,” which became the credo for Ritz-Carlton .
“ That was what it was all my life — the fact that I defined myself was with me ,” Schulze says .
30 hotelsmag . com March / April 2021