On staff engagement : “ I preach about letting people swim in their own lanes . I let them do their thing , don ’ t hover over them and give them the tools they need .”

On being a visible leader : “ I wear a pedometer and track about 10,000 to 15,000 steps ( about 5 mi / 8 km ) around the resort every day . If someone wants to have a conversation with me , I am generally available . Everyone has access to me , and we try to attack things as things as they go wrong .”

On what luxury hotels might be doing wrong : “ We sometimes overcomplicate things . We need to be about smart luxury . For example , we have introduced for return guests a seamless check-in

system to help them overcome the stress of travel .”

On evolving service standards : “ Today ’ s luxury customer is looking for things that offer value — often things related to speed and timeliness . People want to enjoy a great dining experience , but don ’ t want to spend three hours having it . They want to have a great meal at a good price and get on with it .”

On tracking guest satisfaction : “ Everyone knows what our customer satisfaction number is every day , where we are within the comp set , who is ahead and behind , and by how much . There are many things we can ’ t be because of who we are . We are not urban and we are not new , but nobody should compete with us on service .

On responding to social media : “ Before responding to negative comments , we investigate and find out what really went wrong . Often , I try to take the conversation offline . If someone complains on TripAdvisor , I will say , ‘ I am sorry about the problem . I am not aware of the issue , please contact me and here is my direct phone .’

“ We recently added the position of marketing and social media coordinator . This person does nothing but work the social media . We have a program that pulls all mentions into one summary . We know what is being said about us and our competitors and where we are headed .”

On other crucial investments : “ Spending time with the staff directly and being very

engaged . My personal investment of time with the staff means a lot and is appreciated .”

On other credos and mantras : “ I stole one from a previous boss : ‘ I am the managing director , but I refer to myself as the cherry on the chocolate sundae . It looks great , but no one complains when it is not there .’ Guests don ’ t come here because of Michael Hoffmann ; they come because The Boulders is a fabulous resort . Very often we think that because we are in charge , we are the most important part of what happens . And that is not the case . Out of 100 customers , I may only interact with a handful , but my staff is continually touching them . This recognition is a celebration of the staff at The Boulders .”

12 HOTELS May 2012 www . hotelsmag . com