Page 76 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 1: DEFINE AND REFINE
ensuring that the company focuses on the unique needs of di-
verse market sectors. As Ed Mady observes, “Everyone sees
things differently. A business traveler could arrive here at 11
o’clock at night and leave the next day at 7 a.m., coming here
only to sleep. By contrast, the leisure traveler in the summertime
is usually here closer to three days, and what he or she wants
from a stay is vastly different. Our hotel has to make a connec-
tion with each customer from both segments, and all our ser-
vices have to be keyed in to their respective needs.”
Peter Mainguy, general manager of TheRitz-Carlton, Dubai,
cites, “Sometimes the needs of our varying customer groups can
seem at odds with one another. For example, our lounge on the
Club Floor typically attracts business people. By nature the lounge
has been a quiet setting, but increasingly, families are bringing
young children to the Club.” In an effort to meet the needs of
both groups—the business travelers and the people traveling
with families—Peter’s team created a separate family space in the
lounge, and, with vigilance, it has refined the offerings and flow
of the lounge experiences so that the two groups happily coex-
ist and thrive.
The process of business refinement is continual and often
involves management partnering with all of the staff resources
to fuel the evolution. Mark Ferland shares, “It’s the job of leader-
ship to provide the environment that makes sure the Ladies and
Gentlemen know we’re not looking for that amazing invention
that’s going to change this year’s profits for our company, but
that every staff member is critical to making each guest more ex-
cited about his or her stay. Our Ladies and Gentlemen are in the
best position to know what will make the stay of our guests most
enjoyable.” Sometimes that enjoyment may come from adding
something to the experience, while other times it might involve
taking something away that clutters or just doesn’t belong. Of-
ten, it’s as simple as asking yourself why you have done some-
thing the same way for 10 years. You may be surprised that the
only answer is “Because that is the way we’ve always done it.”

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