There are athletes who perform at an extraordinary level their entire career. Pitcher Roger Clemens, soon to be 44, has outperformed the best pitchers in the majors, some nearly 20 years younger. Often the how and why of this marvel is chalked up to “he was just blessed with super natural talent,” instead of admitting the athlete controls his destiny ... and does what the others will not.

Recently, John Rolfs, GM of the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Florida, hired me to work with his staff. Having worked with him at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, I jumped at the chance. Delivering world-class service is non-negotiable if you work for him. While discussing his needs, I hear, “we need a refresher, a shot in the arm about what we actually provide guests, and an increase in awareness of our front line associates to go above and beyond.”

I arrive by limo, and the valet greets me. “Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton Mr. DiJulius. We will get your luggage. Please walk this way.” The bellman greets me the same way, as does the person at check-in, who has my room keys ready. The bellman accompanies me on a hotel tour and shows me to my room. I call for room service and the operator answers, “how may I help you Mr. DiJulius?” I place my order and she says, “would you like bottled water with that?” I say, “sure, thanks,” and she ends with, “certainly, it was my pleasure.” My order arrives 10 minutes earlier than estimated.

I walk to the hotel and watch the activity from the lobby, restaurant, concierges, etc. This is always my best research. Watching the hotel operation unfold was like a Broadway play. All the associates knew their roles and lines and executed them flawlessly. Then it all started coming to me.

First, the limo ride. The driver whispered to the valet who was in the vehicle. This started the chain of communication that was always one step ahead of me. The valet, wired, communicated my name to the doorman, who greeted me and directed me to the front desk where they had prepared for my arrival. The room service operator knows by the caller ID which room is calling and the guest’s name the reservations are under. If there is more than one guest the operator can customize the greeting with “how may I help the DiJulius party?” Equally important is when transferring you to another department, they notify their coworker who is calling so they can personalize the greeting.

That is literally Secret Service: simple no-cost systems at work behind the scenes wowing you and personalizing your experience. None of that is hard to execute.

Since they normally execute operational excellence, we focused on the “experience” they can deliver, such as finding even more ways to profile guests in every department. They don’t hope front line associates understand it. They ensure it—and weed out anyone without a “servant’s heart”. They don’t assume all associates know what world class is, how to correct a service defect, or recognize the opportunity to go above and beyond. They have a great training program on the front end, then revisit it regularly. They brought me in during a peak time at over 91 percent occupancy to ensure that associates do not lose sight of why guests choose to come to the Ritz-Carlton and what their expectations are. Like extraordinary athletes, they are willing to do what the rest are not.



John DiJulius III is the author of  Secret Service, Hidden Systems that Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service, president of John Robert’s Spa, and president of Minding Your Business, a business consulting firm, specializing in helping companies become World Class Customer Service Organizations. Reach John at 216-839-1430 or john@johndijulius.com.