Page 212 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 4: DELIVER WOW!
Engagement, and Mystique), organized by how each value af-
fects the guest experience. Given these three levels of guest ex-
perience, leadership shares Wow stories as a way to demonstrate
how each category of value can be and is enlivened for the guest.
The key to the Functional category is taking care of the basic
guest needs such as safety and security. To illustrate the impor-
tance of addressing the safety concerns of guests, Ritz-Carlton
leadership acknowledges the actions of staff members such as
Nicolas Dousson, head doorman at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples.
When a guest called the hotel to advise that she had run out of gas,
Nicolas did not relegate her rescue to an outside roadside emer-
gency service but instead filled several five-gallon gasoline contain-
ers and drove the 40 miles to assist the stranded woman and her
children. While rescuing motorists is not in Nicolas’s job descrip-
tion, his actions embody service values that relate to guest safety.
Additionally, leadership shares letters and guest comments
in order to communicate to staff members the impact they have
on customers by making Ritz-Carlton a safe and secure environ-
ment. During lineup the following words of a guest were shared
with employees throughout the world: “I would like to take this
opportunity to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to
Andy Sun, Club concierge at The Portman Ritz Carlton, Shang-
hai. I will always remember his personal attention upon seeing
my discomfort and chest pain and insisting on going with me to
World Link Clinic. He stayed with me throughout; accompa-
nied me to a hospital as I was diagnosed with a heart attack;
stayed with me at the hospital as I underwent an operation; and
supported me beyond the call of his duty in my time of need.
During my hospital stay, he visited regularly and provided me
support until my wife reached Shanghai. Upon my release from
the hospital, he was a constant source of support and took any
and all steps that were needed to make us comfortable. He is not
just a hard-working individual but a caring and compassionate
person and an asset to any team.” Andy Sun’s behavior, which
could be viewed as lacking boundaries in some workplaces, is

192