[su_quote cite=”Jim Rohn” class=”wwd-post”]”Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”[/su_quote]
Lessons from my stay at the Ritz Carlton
Dear FutureMoneyTrends.com Subscriber,
My wife and I, who are honest to God soul mates, rarely celebrate our birthdays or anniversaries with gifts. Usually it is just a night out for dinner or something very simple. We go where we want and if we really wanted something (priced reasonably) we would just buy it. So, gifts aren’t of the norm, but this year was different. My wife made it clear that for her 30th birthday she wanted something extra. At first I thought about what kind of gift I could buy her, but my wife can’t even pick out jewelry for herself when we have shopped together, so I didn’t stand a chance at trying to pick something out myself.
Instead I spent about 10 hours looking for a local destination, somewhere that was close enough to leave the kids at Grandma’s, yet in a setting where we would be in paradise. After a long search I found just the place, The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.
My wife and I are frugal by nature, compulsive investors, and relentless savers, however we do enjoy spending money on quality vacations, this however was going to be spending money on the highest quality couples retreat I could envision. So I came prepared with the idea that this was going to cost a lot of money.
I actually looked at it as an investment into my marriage since her and I actually haven’t been out for a weekend alone since having our son Joseph who is almost 4. Once we arrived at the Ritz, we received exceptional service, from the Valet to the Bellman who escorted us to our rooms and gave us a tour of the property. After seeing our room my wife and I went for a short stroll to see the rest of the hotel, this is where we ran into former Presidential Candidate and Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney.Though we purposely don’t vote, it was funny seeing him since he was not in a suit, but in a white bathrobe headed to the spa.
The weekend in short, was blissful, massages and spa treatments everyday, ocean views throughout, and healthy organic food cooked with flavors that exploded in your mouth. I highly recommend the Filet at EnoSteak, one of the best I have ever had, grass fed cows too.
What we can all learn from the Ritz Carlton: I have been to a lot of nice hotels for business meetings, timeshare vacations, and to live the good life in Vegas for a few days, but my experience has never been better than staying at a Ritz Carlton.
Here is what separated them from other high end resorts, I think these qualities can help us all in our own life, as well as our business or place of employment.
Attentive focus on YOU: Talk about customer service! Everyone we encountered greeted and asked if they could help us, they would make it a point to connect with us, and once one of their employees did accept a task you requested, they took personal ownership of it. This was astonishing, if you had a question or task that they couldn’t handle, they wouldn’t let it go or refer you to someone else, they stayed with you until they did find an answer or the right person who could help. If you need directions, to say the restroom, they escorted you. If you wanted to go to the beach, they drove you down there and set up umbrellas, chairs, towels, and water.
Paying attention to people we speak with, delivering on our promises, and most importantly taking the time to help others is a quality we can all refine in our own lives.
Being flexible: Now this is something all restaurants and hotels could learn from the Ritz Carlton. I hate when I go to a hotel or restaurant where they have some policy that makes no sense. Like closing the pool at 6pm or not being able to switch something on the menu. When it came to your requests at the Ritz, they were extremely flexible, if they could make it happen, they were happy to oblige. For example, when I asked if I could sit in one restaurant and order food from another, they said we are not allowed to do that, but let me ask. Sure enough, they made it happen for me, this way I ate what I wanted and also had the view that this specific restaurant offered. Think about your time and the things you need to do, have to do, and want to do. Be more flexible, especially when it comes to the quality time opportunities with your family.
Pride in quality: Everything was first class as is expected when staying at a Ritz, but why not at other places? Even if I was staying at a cheap hotel, why do I risk staying at a dirty hotel with an uncomfortable bed, or only having one flat pillow? Other hotels give Ritz an edge since there are just so many who don’t even try to give you quality. Now this certainly isn’t exclusive for the Ritz, many Hiltons, Marriots, and others have high quality, even in their cheaper hotels, but I did want to point this out as a life quality for daily living. Whether it is your business or place of employment, we should all bring our “A” game, be honest with people and give them your best. You want the reputation of high quality, believe me you will stand out and have a higher quality of life yourself if you live this way.
Questions and Answers
In this week’s question and answers segment, I have a special guest who I delivered some of the most popular questions from our members in the past week. ‘Ranting Andy’ Hoffman of Miles Franklin met me at the Global Currency Expo in San Diego to discuss sentiment in the precious metal buyers, platinum, alternative hard asset investments, Bitcoin, and the derivatives market.
Click here to watch…And don’t forget that Miles Franklin is giving us free shipping on orders over $1,500 when you mention you are a member of Future Money Trends.
Chart of the week
Last week it was an epic parabolic move in Bitcoin and today, it is the great lesson you have to remember, everything that goes parabolic, always comes crashing down.
Regards,
Daniel Ameduri
President, FutureMoneyTrends.com
