We were in New Orleans for the Choice Hotels’ annual conference in November, so we decided to take a walk up Canal Street to take a look at the Ritz-Carlton hotel that had just opened there. When we ducked into the lobby, there wasn’t a soul in sight. As we wondered what could have happened to everyone, an elevator door opened; the bellman who walked out told us we were not in the lobby at all, that it was actually on a floor above us. Then, in true Ritz-Carlton style, rather than just point us in the proper direction, he accompanied us into the elevator and brought us upstairs. This bellman was polite in true New Orleans fashion, but he was also in love with this new property. He showed us around the lobby, and proudly pointed out a lovely piano bar. He had heard me mention the word “spa” in the elevator, so he gave us a complete rundown of what his hotel’s spa had to offer. We decided we wanted to see it for ourselves, so we bid him farewell and went back down in the elevator to take a look. As we got downstairs we realized he had come after us to make sure we found it. He brought us to the front desk to a young woman working who immediately offered to show us around. As she gave us a full-fledged guided tour of the facility, it was clear this woman was in awe of the property as she carefully described its offerings. Afterwards, we commented on the fact that we were impressed with the new hotel, but equally impressed by the people who worked there. Each person we had spoken with had specific job duties, but had also proven to be true ambassadors, not only of the hotel itself, but of the hotel company for which they worked. And while we were well aware of the fact that Ritz-Carlton has an intensive training program, it was clear that these individuals were bringing something extra to their jobs because they were so pleased were they with their surroundings. On several occasions when I was traveling for both business and leisure last year, a variety of bellman, housekeepers and others holding front-line positions volunteered the fact that they couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning because they loved the hotel at which they were working. Some cited the beauty of the actual property, others credited their general managers for providing an inspiring work environment. Still others said that they felt the actual hotel corporation for which they worked was good to them and was providing them with a good career path. Hotel companies that are facing the labor crunch have to realize that these are the reasons that people will work for them. James Procaccianti, president of The Procaccianti Group, (see story page 5), said that his company goes out of its way to look within its own ranks to promote someone before it hires from the outside. That practice has helped his hotel company retain employees during these competitive times, he said. The negative affects the labor shortage can have on a business can’t be taken for granted. Ted Teng, president/ COO of Wyndham International, reported recently that thanks to the tough labor market Wyndham’s third- and fourth-quarter numbers were impacted by vacancies on its sales force, and that it was “putting a plan in place to retain and attract professionals.” The message is simple. You can’t sell your product if you don’t have anyone to sell it for you. The strong economic environment makes this a great time for hotel business in general, but a hard time when it comes to getting good people to work for you. One piece of advice doled out to Howard Johnson franchisees at its recent conference came from property owner Phil Barney, who said that at his hotel he empowers people to make decisions. As an example, he cited a housekeeper who told him that the vacuum cleaner she used had broken. Rather than going out and buying another, Barney said he put her in a cab to visit the vendor he used and let her select the model she could work best with. This is what makes people brag that they
