Page 213 - The New Gold Standard

Turn Wow into Action
held up as “The New Gold Standard” of concern for the physi-
cal well-being of the guest and represents a template of what is
not only excellent but what is exemplary at the Ritz-Carlton.

C Emotional Engagement D

Most staff members intuitively understand that business rela-
tionships must occur in a safe and trusting environment. The
greater challenge is to have them appreciate how much interper-
sonal power they have individually and collectively to positively
affect the lives of their customers and ultimately drive the eco-
nomic success of the business.
Highlighting Wow stories of innovation and problem solv-
ing demonstrates how staff ingenuity translates directly into
emotionally engaged customers. One such Wow story occurred
at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, as Maria Alvarez, who was then
the weddings manager, had been working for an extended pe-
riod of time with a bride-to-be to ensure that her wedding would
be the celebration she desired. The event involved thousands of
dollars in flowers, stringed quartets, limousines, and sumptuous
food presentations. On the day of the wedding ceremony, an ac-
cident closed the only highway that connects Central and West
Maui. Because of the accident, the minister and all the vendors,
including the entertainers, the florist and flowers, and the sound
and light technicians and equipment, were stranded with no way
to get to the Ritz-Carlton. The ceremony looked as if it would
need to be cancelled.
Scott Doran, a meetings and special events manager, con-
tacted the vendors and began reviewing options. Scott told all
of the vendors to get out of the traffic immediately and head
back to Central Maui. He called a local helicopter company to
fly the vendors to the hotel, only to realize that a helicopter would
not be big enough to transport them all. Because the event was
scheduled to take place in two and a half hours, Scott secured
two airplanes and had all of the vendors, equipment, florists, and

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