Page 180 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 3: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU
The art of anticipating unmet and even unstated needs is
central to the memorable and unique Ritz-Carlton experience.
Vivian Deuschl, vice president of public relations, says it really
comes down to taking the focus off your needs and stepping into
the shoes of the guest. “If I see a problem, I own it. My title is
irrelevant. We all put ourselves in the guests’ place. If I walk into
the ladies’ room and notice a paper towel on the floor, I just in-
stinctively reach down and pick it up, so the next guest will see
nothing awry. We all do the same. I know that’s what makes our
Ladies and Gentlemen great, because they put themselves in the
mind of the guest.”
Vivian confirms that it is not just frontline workers who are
paying attention to the needs of others. “I have a bad back, and
some days it’s worse than others. One day I happened to be in
the office, and Simon Cooper, our president, noticed I was walk-
ing rather gingerly, and he asked, ‘What’s wrong with your
back?’ I said, ‘I need to get a new mattress; the one I have just
doesn’t have enough support.’ I didn’t think anything else about
it until three days later when the delivery man came to the house
and brought a box spring, a mattress, all of the bedding—the
entire Ritz-Carlton sleep package. I hadn’t heard a word from Si-
mon telling me that it was coming, but what it meant to me was
beyond description. At first I was amused, and then I thought,
‘How many people work for a company where the president really
listens and cares enough to make that special effort?’”
From President Simon Cooper to Lobby Attendant Betty
Lewis, creating the unique and memorable guest experience be-
gins by taking the needs of the person offering the service out of
the equation. It continues through a focus on the needs of the
person you wish to serve. Leadership creates the environment
for this service excellence by assisting staff members to fully at-
tend to others, use all their senses, and ultimately place them-
selves in the situations of those they serve.

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