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HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH FOCUS: Hotel Human Resources

 

Delivering a 'Luxury Touch' in the Hospitality Industry

By Henri Birmele Managing Director, Hotel Shangrila Santa Monica | March 2014

Truly luxury hotels have the ability to engage their guests in a distinctive, exclusive and meaningful way not found elsewhere. They create a certain mystique that becomes almost addictive, bringing guests back time and time again. Hotel Shangri-la at the Ocean in Santa Monica, California is not only the authentic Streamline Moderne design from the latter part of the Art Deco period that stands out, it is also the nexus of culture and sensuality at the edge of the Pacific that resonates with guests. The hotel is an architectural gem and a landmark; and the epitome of luxury. We live and breathe a distinct luxury style that is embedded in our hotel’s culture. In order to offer the ‘best of the best’ to our young-minded sophisticated guests of any age, we empower our staff to consistently deliver on luxury service expectations in bold and unique ways that ultimately differentiate our brand from other hotel experiences. With 70 luxury rooms and suites offering world-class panoramic ocean views, guests can indulge in a long-term leisure or business stay, or enjoy a romantic escape while watching the sunset or moonrise over the Pacific. Today, the concept of luxury is not just about extravagant hotel features, which are plentiful here. Highlights of our distinctive luxury touches include 24-hour concierge service by an international staff, lush courtyard with elevated pool and cabanas, first-class epicurean restaurant, Suite 700 – our posh 360 degree view rooftop bar and lounge, suites with ocean views, lightning speed wireless Internet access, around-the-clock in-room dining, indulgent bath products by Gilchrist & Soames, and the plushest robes by Frette. Everything is carefully curated to provide a comfortable and exuberant, yet deeply inspiring and exhilarating, getaway. People do not forget how you make them feel. Luxury is about the convergence of a wide array of luxury offerings, a connection with engaging service staff and opportunities for unique cultural experiences that form a truly memorable and indulgent experience for a lush life. Rather than aspiring to luxury, today’s guests want to be inspired by luxury touches throughout their stay.

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There is no standard definition of luxury because luxury is a matter of personal interpretation. It represents different things to different people and is formed by an individual understanding of what is and is not considered luxurious. Most people agree that luxury is an indulgence, beyond the ordinary and exceeds expectations in a surprising manner. Luxury tends to evoke feelings of being special; it raises expectations and allows people to live without pre- defined limits. From a sense of style and comfort, a legendary location, pampered attention, extravagance or ultra-simplicity, luxury is many things to many people. But one thing is clear – luxury delivers unexpected pleasures that exceed expectations in original ways. **The Hotel Shangri-la Culture** The culture of the Hotel Shangri-la brand flows from a global vision from our hotel’s owner, Tamie Adaya, and propagates to every aspect of the hotel’s design, atmosphere and service. It relies heavily on Tamie’s personal taste and astute sense of aesthetics. A strong and visionary leader, her goal is for Hotel Shangri-la’s exhilarating and elevating personality-driven brand to inform every aspect of the guest experience and vividly communicate, and share with them, her unique and particular point of view. Guests can’t help but notice the exquisite appointments that represent both the Art Moderne and earlier Art Deco periods. Among these touches is a 1939 cobalt blue Chase Martini Set reflecting the tone for this post-depression era, full of hope and lavish, swanky social gatherings. An original Erté adorns the wall of one of the suites. Authentic American pottery from such makers as Roseville and Weller graces shelves. Punctuating the moderne lines of suites are a statuette by Frankart, a centerpiece by Kensington, and compotes by Farber Brothers with ruby red, amber, and cobalt blue glass, characteristic hues of the day. The aesthetic, opulence and simplicity combined with the hotel’s architectural elements help create our property’s distinct culture. We also have a number of key concepts and core service philosophies that guide the way we operate. A welcome and inclusive environment infuses our staff with corporate pride and leverages our culture for the enjoyment of our guests. Guests want to feel good when they stay at a luxury hotel, and they also want to relax. They desire a sense of escape, but they also crave vibrancy. At the Hotel Shangri-la, our brand perfectly reconciles these juxtaposed elements. Style, design, comfort, intimacy and location are just a few of the reasons visitors choose to stay at Hotel Shangri-la. **Experiential Offerings** We differentiate our luxury boutique property by being a uniquely authentic and experiential hotel – we are anything but ordinary.
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The atmosphere and ambiance creates an experiential culture and the hotel continues to be a popular hideaway for a wide variety of guests from presidents and celebrities to artists, tastemakers, insiders and world travelers, and everyone in between who wants to be indulged. It is encoded into the DNA of our brand to be spontaneous, flexible and responsive when we see an opportunity to enhance any aspect of a guest’s experience. Owner Tamie Adaya is a renowned social architect with a passion for bringing together creative people from film, fashion, art, jewelry, music, design and literature to orchestrate inspiring social exchanges. She regularly does this via her popular invite-only salons held in the Shangri-la Dining Room with an intimate group of exciting, dynamic and influential people from diverse backgrounds – gathering for fun or learning. Recently, she hosted a series of art and fashion events during BritWeek with exciting talent such as British fashion designer, milliner and corset-maker Mich Dulce, for a poolside jubilee swing-dance party; artist Matthew Stone, named most influential person in the arts in the UK under 30 by the Sunday Times for a Salon; and world renowned artist KESH, who unveiled her KESH 4 Shangri-la custom art pieces designed exclusively for the hotel to the public for the first time. Being a nexus of culture has earned the hotel its distinctive reputation as the word-of-mouth watering hole for the cognoscenti, bringing social style, luxury, spontaneity and refined experiences to share with all our guests. **Back to Basics** While luxury hotel service continues to evolve, our core philosophy encompasses delivering VIP guest experiences that are pleasant, relaxed and comfortable. Instead of an over-reliance on technology, we subscribe to personalized and individualized service and pay attention to every little detail. From the minute we greet our guests with a smile, to the time we say farewell until the next time, we demonstrate that our passion for being of service is foremost in all our customer interactions. Getting to know our guests on an emotional level and offering them small gestures to show we care creates a special connection. This is our one-on-one, in-person delivery of luxury touches that happens because of the internal alignment of our goals and expectations, and the dedication of our hotel staff. While we embrace technology for the convenience and comfort of our guests, we prefer to offer guests ultra-personalized service which we have mastered to perfection. By placing additional emphasis on knowing more about our guests, we are able to indulge them in luxury brand experiences that are highly personalized and appropriately customized for each of their visits. **Organic Service** Personalized luxury is what our guests experience when staying with us. It’s instinctively based, anticipatory in nature and delivers the preferred level of attention depending on each guest’s needs at that moment. Tamie coined the term ‘organic service,’ which is an essential element of our guest experience because hotel staff uses their innate, finely-tuned people skills to determine exactly what kind of service a guest requires. A jet-lagged guest checking in might want to be shown to their room as quickly as possible with minimal interaction, whereas a family breakfasting poolside planning a day trip might appreciate attentiveness, informal conversation and perhaps some recommendations on local sightseeing. Anticipating the unexpressed wishes of our guests allow us to provide for each guest’s needs in real-time – recognizing who wants service and who desires privacy – so each guest’s needs are met according to their personal preference. An offer to deliver a pot of coffee for a guest departing very early is just the type of unexpected, yet appreciated anticipatory service our hotel is known for. **Luxury Differentiators** Luxury touches are in the small details, and we take this very seriously. No matter how small a gesture, it can make a big difference in a guest’s overall experience with us. From offering a birthday greeting, bringing a favorite cocktail or delivering a fresh fruit basket to the suite, taking time to identify and provide surprising luxury elements for our guests on a consistent basis differentiates our style of service. A deep sense of luxury is also expressed in the ambiance of the hotel – the stunning décor in the lobby, fresh flowers in the dining room, and the lush green Courtyard where guests can be pampered in one of the fully-outfitted private cabanas. An onsite indoor fitness room is nearby and steps away is the Sybaris Rejuvenation Lounge where guests can enjoy holistic treatments from the ancient Tibetan Ku Nye Body Treatment to Reflexology, Reiki and a variety of luxury massages and body rejuvenation sessions. Our philosophy is simple. We go to great lengths to ensure our style of service is intimate and cordial, providing all the comforts needed for guests to enjoy their stays. At the same time, we exercise discretion to allow guests privacy. Because we have so many international guests – during a three month period recently we welcomed guests from 21 countries -- we also offer a global ambassador service through our knowledgeable concierges and our staff who speak over twelve languages. Guests are always greeted by friendly and helpful staff that smile frequently, say hello and ask if they can help, which makes people feel appreciated, valued and happy. With our high staff-to-guest ratio, the ability to go above and beyond for our guests becomes the norm. For example in our dining room, the chef may prepare a special dish not on the menu for our returning guests or bring them a ‘compliments of the chef’ appetizer in advance of the main course as an unexpected special gesture. **First Impressions at Touch Points** Our corporate philosophy is to ensure that each guest experiences luxury service at all touch points, because that is what creates those critical first impressions. Here are a few highlights of how we differentiate our service: - **Reservations** - Hotel reservations can be made through the common channels based on guest preference and convenience. As a special gesture, I share my personal mobile number with our repeat guests so they can call me personally to take care of their reservations and requests. - Special requests are graciously accommodated and they can made at the time of the reservation – whether for bedding preference, any special food items or special treatment of our linen and towels. All guests have to do is ask. - **Check-in** - We pre-register our guests whenever possible and upon their arrival at the valet, they are personally escorted straight to their suite where we finish the check-in process. - Seasonally, we offer a special complimentary drink at the check in desk while our guest completes the formalities.
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- **Dining room / Suite 700** - When it comes to our food and beverage service, the luxury touch opportunities are unlimited and range from special food items based on a guest’s preferences to having the chef prepare a guest’s own “catch of the day” according to their taste. - **Departure formalities** - We believe our departing guests deserve the same level of attention as when they arrive, so we can further strengthen that emotional connection with them. We end every guest experience with a fond farewell, warm goodbye and a sincere invitation to return. - Addressing guests by their names whenever possible, we strive to make people feel special. In addition, we may place a bottle of water in a guest’s car upon departure, assist them with packing their luggage or arrange special airport handling to expedite flight check-in, security clearance and departure. **Delivering on the Luxury Promise** We don’t just promise – we deliver. If you ask one of our employees to point the way to Suite 700, The Dining Room or the fitness center, chances are you will receive a personal escort to where you want to go. Our staff is taught to own the guest relationship and is empowered to make sure each person’s experience is enjoyable and memorable. At the Hotel Shangri-la, it’s everyone’s job to take care of our guests. **Exceptional Staffing** Our ability to attract great staff stems from the fact that we understand and adhere to exceptional international service standards. We seek personnel who are organic learners – individuals with a natural curiosity from within – who have the ability to understand and interpret the influences around them. Organic learning is exciting and invigorating, and tends to be contagious among our staff. We also look for people who possess the right mix of personality characteristics to be able to attentively and professionally serve our sophisticated guests. They demonstrate sincerity, a positive attitude, tenacity, autonomy to solve customer requests, a passionate desire to be helpful and endless patience for handling each guest’s needs. Our staff knows that timing is critical when facing a problem and the faster an issue is resolved to the complete satisfaction of the guest, the better the outcome of the experience. In addition to the key personality traits, another important quality for our staff is the ability to provide a calming and confident presence when guests are faced with stressful situations. The skill to stay calm, address the issue quickly and compassionately, and offer an unexpected finishing touch makes all the difference in the world to our guests. We have mastered the art of the apology when things do not meet expectations or we make a mistake. Always handled in an individual and sensitive manner, our guest communications are designed to not only resolve the problem but strengthen our future guest relations. **Employee Recognition and Rewards** Research shows there is a positive linkage between employee performance and employee engagement and recognition. We understand the importance of this correlation and have implemented a hotel-wide employee recognition program for the staff. Some basics that should be considered include: **1. Understand the situation** - In selecting an employee to recognize, we weigh all aspects of performance, including financial performance, guest metrics and other types of feedback to select our employee of the month. Given that our team has all the tools available to exceed our guests’ expectations, we seek to identify employees that consistently go above and beyond in their customer service actions. In some cases, we choose a staff member who may not have access to the tools, yet still exceeds expectations. **2. Consider the culture** - Feedback is a critical aspect of any employee recognition program and our goal is to bring balance to the process. We know that some staff does not have the natural feedback opportunities that others have. However, they are also a critical part of the overall operational success. Our team of international staff comes from various backgrounds – some are born leaders - others followers. We identify those who are creative and willing to think outside the box, because this not only helps achieve our corporate goals, but energizes and motivates our entire team. **3. Management support** - Our executive and management team is involved in the selection and recognition presentation for all employees so we can demonstrate that their efforts are a major contributing factor to our operation’s success. **4. Understand the overall value of the program** - In addition, management also shares some of the highlights of the employee’s exceptional performance during the presentation to clearly focus not only the value of the program, but the critical role that each staff member makes. **5. Importance of short-term and achievable goals** = A program that does not focus on achievable goals will not succeed. We look for attainable accomplishments, progress from previous months and recognize employees regularly for achieving their goals. **6. Promote and publicize** - We feel strongly that sharing employee recognition awards through various channels, including our internal and guest newsletters, fosters our inclusive and respectful culture. This way, other staff knows who is receiving recognition, and more importantly, they understand why they are being recognized as role models. **Competitive Advantages** Our strategies are rooted in an intense understanding of our guest segments, including the dynamics of the current marketplace and focus on our social media platform. We are striving to go back to basics with our service culture and provide an organic “home away from home” that allows our guests to be inspired by their surroundings, complemented with “personalized and customized” service. We like to consider the executive management team as our “lifestyle” team that will accommodate a guest’s needs from personal shopping; scheduling an after-hours visit to an Art Gallery; hosting events in various unique locations throughout the City, such as special jewelry stores for a private viewing; or even chartering a private jet for a day trip. To satisfy the needs of our special guests, we continually push the envelope to deliver the best of the best with a “lifestyle” smile. **Measurement and Benchmarking** Naturally, to track progress we have to be able to measure our success and this is where measurement and benchmarking plays a key role. We do this through many of the common guest feedback tools, including Trip Advisor and other review/rating forums. Our benchmarking goals are established for our team and all feedback obtained is shared with the entire group. We believe every employee has an equal stake in meeting our goals, as well as solving any service recovery issues. We have to learn and take action and measure not just the numbers, but the emotional connections we make with our guests. Conclusion Every member in the organization is a brand ambassador when it comes to serving our guests. Whether it is front-line staff or those behind-the-scenes, consistently delivering a luxury touch to all of our guests is of paramount importance. As management, we understand how best to manage guest expectations and luxury experiences, service standards, employee training and coaching, plus dealing with service gaps and take decisive actions to deliver on the luxury promise. This allows us to provide a distinctively more memorable experience that keeps our guests returning year after year. [1]: http://www.hotelexecutive.com/images/business_review/9c086_NicholasAlanCope011sm.jpg [2]: http://www.hotelexecutive.com/images/business_review/60a64_PoolsideCabana_sm.jpg [3]: http://www.hotelexecutive.com/images/business_review/7e5a5_Dining_Room_2013-5.jpg

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13. PRIVACY POLICY

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We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

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If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

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If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

Fred Ho 10 Things to Feature on Your Hotel Social Channels
  • By Fred Ho, Assistant Director of Marketing, Conrad New York Downtown

    • In today’s digital-first travel landscape, your hotel’s social media presence is more than just a marketing tool—it’s an extension of your guest experience. A well-curated feed can inspire wanderlust, build brand loyalty, and even drive direct bookings. But with so many content options, what should you actually be posting? At Conrad New York Downtown, we’ve found success by organizing our content strategy into three key categories: Destination & Guest-Generated Content, Hotel Content, and Social-Exclusive Content. This framework helps us maintain a balanced, engaging feed that resonates with both first-time visitors and loyal return guests. Here are 10 types of...

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James Downey A New and Trusted Method to Analyzing a Lodging Operation Using An Old and Proven Approach
  • By James Downey, Professor Emeritus, Lynn University

    • Analyzing a lodging operations ideal position and potential for success has been written about and postulated by some of the best marketing minds in the business over the last 75 years. What has not changed is the way a lodging operation has to position itself vis-a-vis its product, market and competition and the way in which it can stay in business during a buyers or sellers market. This article will delineate the three most revealing approaches a general manager can examine and how he or she remains a vital force in the market for the short and long haul....

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Chris Martha Building A High-Performance F&B Team: Recruitment, Training and Retention Strategies
  • By Chris Martha, Vice President, Food & Beverage, Valor Hospitality Partners

    • Recruiting Top Talent The first step towards success lies in attracting the proper talent for the job—whether directors, servers, food runners, banquet and catering staff, etc. The F&B realm is highly competitive; top organizations seek individuals who embody key qualities like strong communication skills, self-motivation, willingness to learn and a team-oriented mindset. These traits are intangible and often challenging to teach, so the best employers prioritize candidates who naturally possess them. A comprehensive approach to sourcing top talent is vital. While job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn can be valuable for reaching candidates across various levels, word-of-mouth referrals...

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David Sherwyn The Supreme Court's New Religious Accommodation Requirements Game Changer for Operators
  • By David Sherwyn, Professor of Law, Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration

    • During the last week of June in 2023, the Supreme Court issued opinions on three discrimination law cases. While two of the cases, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis and Students for Fair Admissions., Inc., v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, received most of the press, a third case will likely be the most consequential of the three for the hospitality industry. In Groff v DeJoy, Postmaster General, the Supreme Court, in a 9-0 decision, rejected a 25 year+ interpretation of a Supreme Court case defining employers' obligations to accommodate religion. Because the Court released its Groff decision during...

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John Young Adapting to Change: How Can Hotels Stay Ahead of Industry Trends?
  • By John Young, Food & Beverage + Consulting Solutions Expert, Strategic Solution Partners

    • Hospitality is one of the most fast-paced, ever-changing industries that is constantly affected by external circumstances such as staffing fluctuations, consumer trends, and, of course, the global economic climate. This means that hotels need to be agile in responding to any changes that may affect them if they want to stay relevant in a highly competitive market. You might say this is the case for any company or industry - and you would be right. However, there is an added complication when it comes to the hospitality industry. Hotels are so multifaceted that adopting any meaningful change is hard...

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Matthew Mering Re-Imagining The Outdoors: Building Hospitality Brands at The Gateway to Nature
  • By Matthew Mering, Executive Vice President of Hospitality, Waterton

    • There is a distinct magic in stepping outside and being instantly immersed in nature. For many travelers, the draw of the outdoors isn’t just about escaping the city or disconnecting from screens; it’s about a deeper sense of freedom, possibility, and connection. As travel patterns evolve, hospitality brands operating near national parks and outdoor destinations are uniquely positioned to shape how people engage with the natural world. What was once a niche offering, has become one of the most dynamic and in-demand sectors in travel, fueled by the rising appetite for meaningful, adventure-driven experiences. As more travelers prioritize wellness, mental...

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John Mavros The Indispensable Job Description
  • By John Mavros, Attorney at Law, Partner, Fisher & Phillips, LLP

    • To help avoid a misclassification claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act FLSA, all California employers should start from one simple proposition: Employees must be paid minimum wage plus overtime for all hours worked over 8 hours in a day and over 40 hours in a workweek. An employee cannot be paid a salary unless the employer can demonstrate that the employee qualifies for an applicable exemption. Job descriptions can support or contradict an employer's classification of an employee as exempt or nonexempt. While a job description is not dispositive, it can be strong evidence that an employee is...

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