I just got back from Maui. My spouse and I were able to take a parents holiday of four glorious nights in heaven. Yet, when we reflected on the resort, we asked ourselves what was memorable other than location. There is not doubt that we chose this resort (and we had been there before we were parents) because of its location. Yet, I found myself being somewhat critical of the service or lack thereof.
Mind you, nothing bad happened. Yet, if attitude reflects leadership, you can identify that it is a resort lead by a Policy and Procedure Manager vs. a Service Nut. I hate when we, as managers, put in rules for the 1%. At this resort, everything was geared around making sure that the hotel didn’t get bested by its clientele instead of making sure that the clientele got bested by the service.
The culture of any service organization has to be focused on the elimination of customer sacrifice. Once we eliminate the possibility of sacrifice, we may then focus on created a “Positively Outrageous Service” environment. As a disciple of T. Scott Gross, who wrote Positively Outrageous Service, I can tell you that when you exist within that environment, truly exceptional experiences begin to happen to you as a guest and you as an employee.
When Policies and Procedures override the guest experience, then we have failed to meet our mission which is to truly dazzle you as a guest. I can guarantee you that any organization that I lead has a true Guests’ First attitude. Our culture is always grounded in the elimination of guest sacrifice.
Finally, we have to be consumed with passion. For without passion, vision is meaningless. On the flipside, Passion begins with Vision. Dr. Les Parrott wrote a book called “3 Seconds.” In his book, he states that, “Vision is a picture of the future, that gives passion in the present.” I wonder what the vision and the passion are at that resort at Black Rock in Maui.
At the Sorrento Hotel, I can assure you that our vision is quite simple. We dazzle every guest with our relentless attention to detail and the elimination of guest sacrifice. I encourage you to come and visit us at the Sorrento Hotel and experience the passion.