The Yes I Can! tour team of Raj Rana, Susan Cecere and Susan Mason arrived at the newly renovated Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle, New York in the same high spirits we were in when we started the Yes I Can! tour in May, perhaps even more charged having seen the success at hotels already visited.  This hotel looks great and has just finished a major renovation of their restaurant and lounge and draws clientele from the local community. The managers meeting was well utilized to discuss how to continue making the remarkable gains in GSI the hotel has seen since renovation last year. The dialog was constructive and we identified opportunities which ended up on an action plan that will be put in place. 

The employee rally was attended by 35 associates eager and attentive to the presentations and even brought in friendly competition to the forefront as they worked on the activity and proudly presented their work. The timing of the rally couldn’t be better as this beautifully renovated hotel with well appointed contemporary rooms and public areas has potential to further build on their early gains in guest experience scores and move up their ranking to the best performing in the brand. 

Radcliffe Scarlett who has been with the hotel for 30+ years was cheered on when he stepped up to receive his Yes I Can! Award.  He presently works in the banquet department but is ready and willing to assist in any department throughout the hotel.

The Yes I Can! tour arrived at the Radisson Hotel Fargo and were welcomed at the newly renovated porte cochere, lobby and front desk pods. Housed in the second tallest building in North Dakota, this hotel will complete all renovations by the first quarter of 2013.

The Yes I Can! team of Raj Rana (Vice President Franchise Operations, Americas), Brenda Schultz (Director of Responsible Business) and Nick Duff (District Director) met with General Manager/Owner Sandi Adams and 9 managers to focus on how to build a Yes I Can! community and other key aspects of Yes I Can! The meeting also looked into ways to better manage the renovation and decrease impact on the guests using Making it Right log and guidelines and discussing new ways to Surprise and Delight guests.

The staff rally in the afternoon included about 85 employees who were welcomed to an Olympic themed meeting room with employees donning gold medals and smiling faces. Sandi Adams had numerous employees to recognize including years of service milestones.  The Yes I Can! award went to Roderick who exemplifies Yes I Can! with every guest (and employee) every day in the numerous roles he plays at the hotel. For the finale, the hotel showed a video of staff members Kevin Craddock and Security Manager Ken hunting down a wily bat that had snuck into the pool/exercise room, played to some upbeat music. 

The Yes I Can! tour landed in the capital city of Bismarck, North Dakota, and were pleasantly welcomed to renovated accommodations that the new Business Class rooms offered. The hotel supports Ambition 2015 and is exactly half way completed in both the guest rooms and the public space (10,000 square feet on the 2^nd floor as well as 50% of the guest rooms done).

The well tenured team has seen the impact of the recent oil boom with over 15% increases in revenues in 2012 yet that has come with the challenges of finding and retaining staff in an area that is said to have 1% unemployment. General Manager, Lyle Schneider, was quick to point out that the employees are the ones “making it happen” day in and day out; referring to the fact that all indicators are heading the right direction from GSI to SPI as well as problem incidence and problem resolution. Still the managers meeting readily was focused on brainstorming some ways to further improve their results through goal setting around reducing problem incidence as well as improving their processes around Making it Right so as to improve problem resolution.

The Olympic themed Yes I Can! Employee Rally was attended by over 80 employees from literally all corners of the world. Although there were more than 6 languages understood in the room, English was understood by nearly all and participation was abundant as Raj Rana, Vice President of Franchise Operations, Americas shared the facts around Carlson Rezidor’s international footprint in over 80 countries around the world. Lyle Schneider recognized several employees and awarded housekeeper, Kay Edwards’, the Yes I Can! award for his efforts to Surprise and Delight. The employees enjoyed a full buffet meal prior to the rally and a celebratory Olympic cake after and then most had to head back to work as it was another full night at the Radisson Bismarck!

The Yes I Can! tour team arrived at the Radisson Hotel Lansing at the Capitol in Lansing, Michigan.  This property is completing their renovations and has made positive progress on their GSI scores in 2012, but they are focused on further driving results as renovations are completed.  The hotel is the only full service hotel in downtown Lansing and benefits from a skyway connection to the convention center.

The morning management meeting included Greg Horeth (VP of management co. Winegardner & Hammons) and general manager Bryan Johnson and 16 other managers and supervisors.  There was some good discussion on the challenges of adapting to the different requirements of customers based on their profiles and needs – groups, conventions, leisure, sports teams, etc. 

There was a fantastic idea shared by John, maintenance supervisor, who mentioned that those guests that have an issue – which is logged – have a small post-it note stuck to their car keys in valet to ensure that a second follow-up is done when valet is retrieving their car before the guest departs the hotel.  At that time, the valet attendant will check with the guest that the situation was handled and resolved to their satisfaction. 

The all staff rally was attended by 90 staff members who were eager to participate in the event.  Inspired by Ambassador Susan Lee, the staff participated and contributed with some great Surprise & Delight examples.  The Yes I Can! award winner was Kevin Gordon from maintenance, who noticed a guest that was arriving in his car with smoke coming out of the hood.  Without hesitation, Kevin offered to assist the guest and after looking at the engine realized it was a simple T-connector and offered to go to the local car parts shop during his break to find the part and fix the car!  The guest was very impressed with Kevin’s attitude of offering help and going beyond the call of duty. 

The Yes I Can! tour team arrived into the iconic and award winning Aqua building, where 35 managers and supervisors joined the management meeting at the new Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.  Their recent opening – October 2011 – has put a lot of pressure on the team that has delivered great guest satisfaction and results.  They already perform on the top of their competitive set as measured by Revinate and Trip Advisor.  Their RGI has been growing at incredible pace and they have exceeded fair share for weeks at a time.

The focus in morning meeting was centered on a few key topics including improving communication and driving empowerment to a new level.  Action plans were discussed and the team committed to pushing the property to the next level.  General manager Pierre-Louis Giaccotto doubled the commitment by challenging the team to move from current number 6 to top 3.

The staff rally included several weeks of planning by a special committee that was formed to create an incredible event and allow the staff to celebrate the milestones.

 A “Blu” theme was chosen and the setup included all things blue – from Blu cupcakes, to Blu gummy bears and blueberries.

  A ‘local’ Blue Man Group included Filini executive chef, Cristian Fantoni, and director of catering Gary Irps, who welcomed the staff to a perfect rendition of a Blue Man Group concert!  Pierre-Louis Giacotto thanked the team for the efforts and commitment to make this hotel’s opening a great success. 

Two staff members tied for the Yes I Can! award: 

Frida Tifak from banquets for overhearing a banquet client complain about some equipment being provided by a third party for an offsite event catered outside the hotel and taking the initiative to offer the hotel’s equipment for the function.  The client happens to be one of Carlson Rezidor’s Preferred National Accounts and this display of service only helps strengthen their loyalty to our brand. 

Azema Kundak from housekeeping for assisting a guest with special requirements and taking the initiative to follow-up with the guest on a daily basis and offer assistance.  The guest – a local corporate account – was so impressed that has since committed to only using the hotel for  her travel requirements. 

As the team departed the 112 degrees in Dallas-Fort Worth, they arrived with great excitement to the refreshing cool of just 102 in El Paso.  This is the final stop on the Yes I Can! Tour for District Director Brad Grissman and Ambassador Derek Robertson, and what a way to end a successful tour!  A visit to the Radisson El Paso; a property that is engaged in every sense of the word with a Service Index score above 9.00 and a recent renovation that makes the property outshine the competition.  Owner Amen Ayoub, is a strong advocate of the brand in a more than 20-year relationship with a workforce that is equally committed as reflected in their low turnover and high guest satisfaction scores.

This hotel operates well, yet it was heartening to see how the management team, despite a almost flawless operation, was self-critical, seeking to be the best hotel in the Radisson system.

The afternoon employee rally was attended by 90% of the staff, while the other ten percent ran the hotel.  In a dominantly Spanish-speaking group, this was a meeting where the Yes I Can spirit transcended beyond any language barriers as the room rang loudly with “Si, se puede”.  Maria Garcia, of housekeeping, was recognized for her commitment to live the Yes I Can! spirit on a daily basis via numerous written testimonials from guests staying in her rooms.

This Yes I Can! hotel is in true contentions for the Yes I Can! recognition at the 2013 Business Conference.  

As strong storms followed this Yes I Can! team from Denver into the Colorado Springs area we stopped at a scenic overlook to gaze at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s vast complex including a sports stadium and an vast campus, not to mention Pike’s Peak and the Rocky Mountains. When we arrived to the Radisson Colorado Springs Airport Hotel the door opened for us before we could touch it thanks to John, the bellman, we immediately were reminded how fantastic this hotel delivers brand leading service – consistently ranked as the #1 or #2 hotel in GSI.

The 12 managers in the morning meeting hold 148 years of experience just at this hotel so we, the Yes I Can! Ambassador, Susan Cecere, and District Director, Nick Duff were anxious to share the teams culture and knowledge with our Executive, Jody Vinci, who heads up the Customer Care team in Omaha. She shared the many best wishes that her team had for this exemplary team and off we went to discuss some key touch points and aspects of service as well as specific tools. The Making it Right Log according to general manager, Zan Wagner, is one of their keys to success, he and other managers read it every day and staff members also you use it to pass on information but mostly it drives their consistent acts of following through with every guest need every day.

Into the Yes I Can! rally we were in awe of the Olympic themed room; from actual athletic uniforms to the 2012 USA Boxing Teams signed poster and to top it off  we were presented with official Olympic Training Center pins for 2012. Then there was the treats for the ecstatic employees; from A&W root beer floats to red white and blue chocolate dipped strawberries to the beautiful cake that displayed the Colorado wilderness and of course Yes I Can!

The event kicked off with Zan, and Michelle DeVoll (Director of  Sales and Yes I Can! Trainer) standing nearby, asking the employees to take them through their own Yes I Can! cheer that is part of each and every one of their training sessions. It is no wonder so many of our other hotels have made the journey or cornered Zan in other locations to ask what is their secret to success.  Zan concluded by explaining how hard it is for him to call out individuals to recognize so he rewarded a handful of employees for their most recent acts of Yes I Can! and finally recognized Anita in housekeeping for being acknowledged by guests for her friendliness and care. Radisfaction! (a new term from the team)

As the temperature reached a balmy 112 degrees, the Radisson Yes I Can! team descended upon the historical Fort Worth Stockyards to set the stage for an exciting day at the Radisson Fort Worth North in the heart of southern hospitality.  The temperature in Fort Worth is recorded as the official hottest temperature in this tour.

The managers meeting could not have been more perfectly timed as new general manager Rick Harrison was on his seventh day at the hotel.  It involved an open discussion on the direction for the future, and successful creation of a strategic action plan to begin the journey under new leadership.  Also attending was Ron Ganjifard, Regional VP of Operations for Tog Hotels ownership group.

The property has inherent advantages as it is the only full-service hotel in the market and has the award-winning Cassidy’s Bar on site.  With successful completion of the planned renovation, renewed focus under the new general manager, and a fully-engaged team of associates, the hotel team is encouraged to now make strong strides in guest satisfaction and customer loyalty.

93 employees kicked off the afternoon rally full of Yes I Can! spirit, most of whom dressed the part with hats and boots, emblematic of a city famous for cowboy culture.  Vickie Michael was recognized for her commitment to guest satisfaction and dedication to the Yes I Can community, acting as a true role model for other front desk staff.  In Vickie’s life there is no bad day, and if there is, the guests don’t know about it.   

The Yes I Can! tour was welcomed in our Nation’s Capital at our hotel in Arlington, VA by a turkey vulture sitting on the balcony railing.  The addition of the new guestroom suites on the 9^th floor boasted beautiful views of Washington DC.

Peter Priesner, GM and the managers met to review their current status and to discuss how they can make improvements to their top six guest complaints from Medallia.  They all agreed to an action plan that included just that as well as a focus on communication.  After the meeting Samantha Mairano, executive chef and Yes I Can! Trainer escorted Susan Mason to the kitchen to meet her team and to assist, as needed, during a very busy day.

The rally revealed many GREAT Yes I Can! stories shared by the guest and the employees.  The stories included changing a guest’s tire to organizing a guest’s room to WOW them beyond belief.   

The Yes I Can! tour team, including Ambassador Derek Robertson, Executive Raj Rana and District Director Jan Kirst continued through the “Carolinas”, arriving in the deep south, at the Radisson Hotel Charleston Airport, greeted by the Yes I Can! Service winner, Walisha Wiley, with her outgoing, genuine Yes I Can! Service.   

 The ownership’s representative VP Operations Caesar Lanceta attended the manager’s meeting and challenged the team to immediately “heat up their guest service levels” above the boiling point, in order to move the service levels today.  The new ownership is committed to the property’s improvement plan, giving the hotel the tools needed to move this property to a market leader.  The exterior has been repainted, new exterior lighting in process, and a new design planned for the restaurant and pool atrium.  Mangers focused on the service delivery plan to improve the guest experience during the renovation phases.     

General manager Ivan Aguilar welcomed the employees to the Yes I Can! rally, which was well attended by an extremely engaged team.  Many from housekeeping, engineering, banquets and front office participating in Raj Rana’s Yes I Can! search for great “Yes I Can!” stories from the heart.  Many staff members expressed renewed commitment to their role, with a renewed support from the new ownership.    

 Again, Caesar Lanceta expressed his personal support of the Yes I Can! community load bearing walls – that of “empowerment” to all employees, in an immediate demonstration that all team members are able to do whatever it takes to “make it right” with each guest problem that may arise.

More employees shared their personal stories of providing “surprise and delight” examples and great Yes I Can! Service stories.  Walisha Wiley shared her personal story of providing great service with many guests, including one opportunity when she researched on the internet and through local contacts to locate the burial site of a guest’s father’s grave site.