Page 223 - The New Gold Standard

Turn Wow into Action
within the culture. Numerous members of The Ritz-Carlton San
Juan Hotel, Spa, and Casino staff were recognized for their ef-
forts to respond to a late-coming request for dinner reservations
for five and an accompanying birthday cake to be presented to
the guests’ son. Emily Vallejo “owned” the request, and she im-
mediately found a way to get the dinner reservation confirmed,
in an otherwise full restaurant. Emily also called a local baker to
prepare the cake because she knew the turnaround time was too
short to have the cake prepared in-house.
The guest mentioned in the conversation with Emily that
his son, Dayson, was turning four years old and loves Spider-
man; therefore, Emily sought a Spiderman design or figures to
decorate the vanilla cake. Then came the significantly playful
twist: Emily contacted a company to have the cake delivered
by a man wearing a Spiderman costume. Maria Castano from
the concierge department looked for Spiderman pictures from the
Internet and created a superhero coloring book and brought bal-
loons to the festivities. The staff related, “You should have seen
Dayson’s face as Spiderman approached the table. He couldn’t
take his eyes off him.”
When Dayson blew out the candles, the whole restaurant
started clapping. Dayson’s mother tearfully and joyfully watched
the event. Dayson was not only impressed with his visitor but
was also heard to say, “Spiderman even knew my name.” Emily
and Maria sent the guests off with framed photos of the event,
and they were praised for their playful creativity and the memo-
rable impact it had on Dayson and his family.
Providing excellent service is a reward unto itself. Whether a
staff member is working individually or in concert with a team,
service gives back to the giver. At Ritz-Carlton, those acts of giv-
ing are held up as examples of how well-defined values come
alive through the collective efforts of staff each and every day.
Leaders celebrate and cement culture by the stories they tell and
retell.

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