My career started in the hospitality business based on my love of hotels and restaurants as a child. I began at a very basic working level at a hotel managed by the company that would become Westin Hotels.  I later joined a small but growing luxury hotel company based in Toronto, Four Seasons Hotels and my life was forever changed.

 

I worked as Director of Sales at the Edmonton hotel until it was sold and I was temporarily assigned in Vancouver. In a little less than a year I was off to Santa Barbara to relaunch a classic beachfront resort. As business demands shifted, I moved to Los Angeles to be based at the Beverly Hills office with regional responsibilities in Southern California. 

 

In the course of my work in Los Angeles, I grew increasingly famliar with the inbound Japanese tourism business. When Four Seasons was opening its first Asian hotel in Tokyo, they came asking me to take on a temporary assignment in Japan.

 

LESSONS LEARNED

 

Aside from my initial career at Westin Hotels, Four Seasons was the first influential career for me. It taught the value of a brand, the importance of exceptional customer service and the idea of a company founder leading a company. Moreover, I encountered so many inspirational leaders that influenced how I lead people. Finally, Four Seasons trained and lead me out "out of the nest" to experience new cities, countries and cultures. 

 

BEST EXPERIENCES

 

• I gave a hotel tour in Edmonton to the Four Seasons founder and CEO, Isadore Sharp. We visited one of the guestrooms and took a quick inspection of the room. I took notes as Issy pointed out priorities. Then he walked into the bathroom, took off his suit jacket, shoes and got into the bathtub. I was speechless. He told me that we should always look at a hotel room as the guest sees it. Sure enough, sitting in the bathtub he could see dust on the pipes under the sink and stains on the wall. From that day forward I always strived to see products and services from the customer perspective.
   

• In Vancouver we faced a significant shortfall in the month of February, typically a quiet month for the hotel but not making budget in the first quarter would mean having to make it up later in the year. I initiated a program called "Think February!" to get myself and everyone on the sales team (including everyone in the hotel) to focus on bookings for Feburary.  We acheived the budget!
   

• I landed in Los Angeles at the regional sales office with responsibilites for the resorts in southern California. Around that time the defence contractors were quickly going out of business as the Cold War ended. They had been a major source of business for the company. I looked for a new source of business and decided to focus on the entertainment industry (Hollywood!). For three years I regularly visited movie studios, music companies and talent agencies and built relationships with these companies, bringing loyal and highly profitable business to the hotels. 
   

• I arrived in Tokyo for the opening of the hotel with the idea I should be teaching the Japanese management of the hotel about hospitality. Within six months I realized I was the student and they were the teachers. Always be prepared to learn at the onset of any new job. An important lesson for anyone coming to Japan.
   

• At the corporate office in Tokyo I received a call from a Japanese guest with a complaint about his experience at our hotel in Milan. Upon my investigation I discovered there had been a significant amount of correspondence between the guest and the General Manager of the hotel but it was going nowhere. 
  
  He came to our offices and I listened to him describe his experience at the Milan hotel and his disappointment in the services. When he finished, I offered a sincere apology as a representative of the company. I offered him a complimentary stay at any of our hotels but he immediately stood up and said, "The only thing I wanted was an apology. Thank you for your time and you now have a customer for life".
  
  Never be afraid to just say, "I am sorry".