Delighted, returning customers: service the Ritz‐Carlton way: Gold star advice from the leaders in service excellence Available to Purchase

Consider these accolades: 14 properties in the Top 100 World’s Best Hotels; award for the first ever AAA five‐diamond rating; top honors award from Travel + Leisure every year since 1997; and most important of all, clear leader from 16,000 travelers’ votes for the hotel chain with the best service. Obviously, when the Ritz‐Carlton hotel company says “We sell service” it is more than just a catchy sound bite. In fact, selling service is something that every member of the organization’s work force takes very seriously indeed. As a result, Ritz‐Carlton is the only company in the service category to have won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice. Unsurprisingly, customers come back.