The New Gold Standard

While in the process of building this business, I consistently study other successful organizations and look for areas where I can enhance my knowledge and then apply the key learnings into my daily practice. The best example of a company that I look up to and one day aspire to mirror is Ritz-Carlton.

The luxury hotel brand set up shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2009. Over the last seven years, I have had the privilege to visit as a guest as well as a producer tasked with utilizing their amazing facility for special events.

Each time I visit I feel like I am the most valued person on the property, regardless of whether I am there to visit the Spa & Wellness Center or simply stopping by to grab a lemon macaroon from their sweets bakery (Bar Cocoa). The consistent quality of service is something that all companies should emulate. Personally, I hope to one-day master this very skill.

A few years back I read The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principals for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. It was while reading this book that I clearly understood the importance that the Ritz-Carlton company places on service and the level in which they empower their employees to exceed the expectations of each and every customer.

Since reading this book I have taken greater care to notice how the front desk clerk remembers my name or the way that the cleaning staff looks me in the eye when they wish me a good morning. These subtle details prove to me that the entire company embraces their credo—their mission of “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.” This isn’t just a marketing slogan hung on the wall in the employee breakroom, but something that goes deeper— it is something that is ingrained in the culture. It is real.

The next time you are price shopping for a hotel room, a restaurant, or a special event company please remember that you are not only comparing their goods or services but also who they are as a company, the quality they hold themselves to, and the mission they commit to.  

The difference between a Ritz-Carlton and the Westin is more than just the beds.  It’s found in the very lifeblood of the corporate culture itself.

 

Let me know how I can serve you,

Michael

A Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen

 

PS – If you stop by the Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte ask for Matt, the valet, and tell him you are a friend of the Verlatti’s.  Don’t forget to pick up a lemon macaroon.