IN COMPROMISE YOU HAVE TO REEVALUATE YOUR VALUES AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS .
SPECIAL REPORT
Mady is known for his “ Ed-isms ,” including , “ Composure is a leader ’ s responsibility .”
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IN COMPROMISE YOU HAVE TO REEVALUATE YOUR VALUES AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS .
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These scientific processes became the backbone of his management philosophy .
Schulze says Mady took over his first hotel in New York when guest and employee satisfaction was the worst in the system . “ After two years there , when the union was renegotiating , employees insisted the union accept the Ritz-Carlton credo as part of the contract . That is unbelievable ,” Schulze says . “ And even though it was a union hotel , it became the number one satisfaction hotel in the company , and Ed was able to get more people promoted out of that hotel . He is a great teacher and organizer .”
DORCHESTER YEARS Mady also says if leaders can ’ t explain their vision , teams will not follow , and follow him they did . At the end of his Ritz-Carlton run and a planned return to The New York Palace in 2009 under the new ownership of
Dorchester Collection , Mady convinced 36 associates at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco to move and work with him in New York .
When he returned to California less than three years later to run the Beverly Hills Hotel and remake the Bel-Air , again taking several team members back across the country , he found his management skills put to the ultimate test . A boycott by Hollywood activists started in 2014 after the Sultan of Brunei , Dorchester Collection ’ s owner , imposed strict Sharia law in his home country . Protests and lost revenue persisted for the good part of three years , but it finally subsided and today Mady says financial results are as good as they get .
Mady rebuilt demand through his employees . “ If you can give them a sense of purpose while they ’ re here , it fosters a great guest experience ,” he says , adding , “ You never really know how much sales are hidden until you start talking to the customer the way they want to be spoken to .”
Baseball star and manager Joe Torre , who became a good friend of Mady during his New York years , says while Mady was going through the rough patch at The Beverly Hills Hotel his staff continued to feel engaged . “ That was huge ,” Torre says . “ I always wanted to learn as a player and manager , and that is Eddie all the time – always looking for innovation … You compete against yourself as that is the challenge when you are at the top , and Ed doesn ’ t miss a trick .”
Mady says he would consider returning to New York City and his beloved Yankees if Dorchester Collection finds a new hotel there ( it sold The New York Palace in 2011 ). “ It ’ s always difficult to open a new product , but it ’ s also a lot of fun when you put together a new hotel ,” he adds . “ So that ’ s my power alley . That ’ s my thing .”
What is not Mady ’ s thing is retirement . “ I need to work ,” he says . “ I need to feel tired . James Brown was asked how he was feeling while he was in prison . ‘ I am well rested ,’ he replied , ‘ but I miss being tired .’ That ’ s what we are in the hotel industry .”
28 hotelsmag . com November 2017