Page 216 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 4: DELIVER WOW!
was complete, Saad went up to the pool and told the couple he
would meet them at an appointed hour to escort them down to
the beach.
Philip Fingerle, the food and beverage promotions coordi-
nator, was waiting on the pathway to capture the experience
with his camera. After a complimentary serving of tuxedo straw-
berries and champagne, Saad and Philip discreetly retreated and
let the couple enjoy a very private and intimate sunset on the
shore of the Arabian Gulf. In the meantime, Philip prepared a
collage with the photographs he had taken of them a little earlier,
and he placed everything in their room before they returned. He
also compiled a CD with all the pictures, personalized it with a
photo label, and handed it to them the next morning. The hus-
band exclaimed, “We haven’t smiled so much since our wedding
day!” As the closing line of the submitted Wow story acknowl-
edges, “First Class to Saad, Raveendran, and Philip for enliven-
ing the Ritz-Carlton Mystique by creating such a unique,
memorable, and personal experience for the couple!”
By sharing stories about staff members such as Saad, Raveen-
dran, and Philip, Ritz-Carlton leadership sends a clear message
that every staff member has the full authority to use his or her dis-
cretion to produce grand experiences for guests. Some companies
might not want to have such a story shared widely throughout
their organization, particularly if they believe that the guest’s loy-
alty could have been achieved with far less cost or effort.

C From Extreme Examples D
to Inspirational Ideas

One is hard-pressed to read a series of Ritz-Carlton Wow stories
without thinking, “This all sounds too good to be true.” Would
a staff member really come in early to collaborate with a peer to
build a ramp or create a customized dining experience for a per-
son who hadn’t asked for such service? Not only does it happen
at Ritz-Carlton, but countless similar examples create momen-

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