HB ON THE SCENE: Sternlicht Leads Sheraton Pledge Of Guest Service Allegiance

NEW YORK— With pillows flying and cameras rolling, Starwood Hotels & Resorts CEO Barry Sternlicht and some 200 staff members from the chain’s flagship Sheraton New York property almost brought traffic to a halt on Seventh Ave. here Sept. 6 as they rolled out the brand’s new Service Promise program aimed at providing the ultimate in guest service satisfaction. Flanked by former NYC Mayor and television’s “People’s Court” judge Ed Koch and actor Harry Anderson of the sitcom “Night Court,” Sternlicht rallied the troops on the steps of the 2,400-room New York Sheraton Hotel & Towers, where placing their hands on blue and white pillows emblazoned with the Sheraton logo, enthusiastic representatives from housekeeping and maintenance to chefs in white toques and front desk staff pledged to fulfill their part in guaranteeing outstanding customer service “at all costs.” Permutations on the scene repeated throughout the day at key Sheraton locations nationwide, with, for example, Miss Texas doing the honors in Houston and three gubernatorial candidates on hand in Vermont. Basically a three-tier program that proclaims “if you’re not satisfied, we’re not satisfied,” the initiative addresses minor to major guest irritations, to which all associates are empowered to respond. With the Sheraton Service Promise: * “Minor” inconveniences— slow check in, missing soap, billing discrepancies— produce an apology, plus a $15 value or 500 Starwood Preferred Guest points; * Larger “fixable” problems— unclean room, heating/cooling malfunction, controllable noise— result in an apology, plus $25-$75 value (based on ADR). Compensation options offered include: credit toward current stay; gift certificate for future stay or toward a service, e.g., spa treatment; or SPG points; * “Non-fixable” problems— uncontrollable noise, slow room service, no wake up call, uncomfortable bed— produce the apology and credit for a free room night or meal; one-night gift certificate redeemable at a different Sheraton; or SPG points. Regarding the program, Sternlicht told HOTEL BUSINESS®: “We were trying to address a customer perception of lack of consistency in the Sheraton brand and we think we are better than some people think we are. What we’ve seen is people who’ve stayed with Sheraton, their impression of Sheraton is much better than those who don’t. So we’re saying to those who don’t they should try us again.” During the pledge a laughing Sternlicht grabbed at his heart in mock horror and staggered backward as the employees reiterated— very loudly— compensation would be paid out to unsatisfied guests, some tossing their pillows into the air to punctuate their commitment. When later asked about his reaction to that cost and how the company would safeguard itself from perhaps being taken advantage of, Sternlicht said: “We’ve piloted the program so we think we’re pretty sure we know what the cost will be. Every investment we make, whether it’s putting in new roofs, new walls, has a cost and there’s a benefit, there’s a payoff. Here, we think we have a short-term cost and a major long-term benefit for Sheraton.” Norman Macleod, Sheraton’s new evp, told HOTEL BUSINESS® it was difficult to pinpoint an exact number of specific complaints that may have been leveled toward the brand over the past 12 months. “Any organization, any hotel has issues and customer complaints, and we don’t get things perfect every single time. This is really more in reaction to the general issues of satisfying a guest rather than dealing with specific problems. We want to ensure the customer, when they stay in a Sheraton hotel their stay is as perfect as possible.” According to Laura Cicchelli, vp/global brand marketing, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, “The brand has had a terrific increase in its GSI scores, particularly behind service and we’re really putting our money where our mouth is. We think it’s time to tout that achievement and created the Sheraton Service Promise, where we’re esse