How I Learned to Pay Attention to the Details

I recently read a post on Bill Marriott's blog with the same title as this post. I like reading blogs from very successful business men. I read Bill's as well as Mark Cubans weekly. Reading his entry on attention to detail (link below) inspired me to share my story about the same subject.

http://www.blogs.marriott.com/default.asp?item=2299698

In 1996 I was a bellmen at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. About 2 weeks on the job I was promoted to Doorman. About 3 days into that job the GM, Pat Engfer approached me, looked me dead in the eye and said, "Bryan, I do not like to see cigerette butts anywhere on my hotel's property. Especially on the front driveway." It made sense immediately and I made it my personal goal every morning at 7am to sweep the entire Hyatt Airport driveway before she arrived. She noticed immediately and there was never a day on my watch cigerettes were ever a problem.

Fast forward to 1999 - I am now in Las Vegas standing in front of the 4 star Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas managing Guest Services front service staff. Unprevoked, I walked up to the morning doorman and looked him dead in the eye. I said, "We do not have any cigerette butts in our ashtrays." From that point forward- as much as possible, my team would pull butts out of ashtrays and restamp the ashtray sand with a beautiful palm stencil.

If I ever wanted to know the type of service my team was providing on any given day, I just looked at the ashtrays. If they were free of butts and stamped, they were on their game. Attention to detail.

Bryan