The Employee Factor

From the moment we entered The Mandarin Oriental Miami, we felt like we had entered a world of beauty and relaxation. The clever use of lighting, music, and running water created an environment which delighted every one of our senses instantly.

As we entered, we told the concierge that we had a meeting scheduled with Romy E. Saunders, The Director of Quality & Productivity. What did we want to discuss? We wanted to better understand how the Mandarin Oriental has created a customer experience that appeals to the well-heeled, luxury traveler in countries as diverse as Asia, Europe and the United States.

When we met Romy, we asked her to help us understand how the Mandarin created their mystical world-class experience. During our meeting, Romy discussed some of the key differentiators in the Mandarin experience, including the:

1. Importance of a strong sense of place. They do not have a “cookie cutter” approach to hotels, but ensure that each location has its own individuality and unique offering.

2. Legendary Quality Experiences (LQEs), which are delivered through 150 service standards that allow the experience to be delivered consistently across every defined “moment of truth”.

3. Relentless focus on delighting a guest. They do this through a strong sense of care and concern for their guests, not through a set-script.

4. Focus on details. Everyone participates in daily briefings, which solidify the philosophy of the company. As Romy, rightly points out – “you can’t live the philosophy of a company, unless you speak it.” As well, the daily briefings share customer service successes, and opportunities, and prepare each colleague for the arrival of each and every guest.

“We need to know who is in our home, and who do we need to host.”

5. Use of technology, which delivers a high tech and high pamper experience to each and every guest.

 

6. Emphasis on learning and development and the culture of continuous improvement, which ensures that each colleague delivers the desired experience consistently – day-in and day-out.

While, we were impressed with the list of key differentiators Romy highlighted. It was what she didn’t say that impressed us even more. It was her passion, dedication, enthusiasm for her colleagues, her guests, and her hotel. It was her emphasis on caring and concern, graciousness, respect, and the spoken sense of belonging that were, in our opinion, Mandarin’s reason for its overwhelming success.

In fact, we believe that Mandarin’s their true differentiator cannot be measured, and cannot be replicated. What is it? It is a unique spirit characterized by the willingness to create an environment where people can excel and where people have a genuine care and concern for each other and their guests.

We want to thank Romy and the Mandarin Oriental. Romy met with us and our client to discuss service excellence. She took the time out of her busy schedule and “moved heaven and earth” when one of our client teams was an hour late for a scheduled meeting. It is people like Romy, who highlight that it is the unique spirit of each and every colleague, who is responsible for bringing to life the desired experience – each and every day.

Thank you, Romy.