I have been a big fan of Steve Wynn for a long time—from October 2011 to be exact. That was when Wynn went full Howard Beale during a Wynn Resorts Limited earnings call. (Editor’s note: Shawn loves to use references he thinks millennials won’t get. We totally do. We just don’t say anything because we think it’s cute.)
To refresh your memory, it was during that earnings call when Wynn was asked to give his thoughts about Occupy Wall Street. What followed was an in-depth essay about how that movement represented Americans’ growing anxiety, insecurity and fear about the economy. He (rightly) reasoned there are a lot of people who are terrified about their own standard of living and wages. And I’m not just saying this because I have two degrees in an industry that I am pretty sure will no longer exist in 10 years.
Anyway, my point is, I’m a fan. So imagine my delight when I found out Wynn was going to give an address at the 37th annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference. Turns out it was quite an address, which included a story that says a lot about the proper way to motivate employees and run an organization.
The story
Wynn recalled a time at his Las Vegas hotel when a couple in their 70s checked in and, upon arriving at their suite, realized to their horror that they had forgotten their medications back on the counter in their Pacific Palisades, California, home. Frightened, they relayed that information to the bellman who calmed them down and told them he would take care of it.
The bellmen then went to his manager and told the couple’s story. He asked his boss if he could have the next day off to go to the couple’s home and pick up the medication, which included a prescription to treat diabetes. The bellmen said he had a brother in Encino anyway, not far away from the couple’s home, and he could visit with his brother for a bit while he was in the area.
The manager agreed, and the bellmen went to collect the medicine. He returned in the middle of the night and the needed medication was at Wynn’s property when the couple awoke the next morning.
Needless to say, the manager was thrilled and went to great lengths to shower the employee with praise. The hotel even launched an internal marketing campaign around the act of hospitality. It wasn’t long before other employees began to want to get on their own bosses’ good sides and began going out of their way for guests, too.
The moral of the story is …
Employees want to be engaged. They want to be praised. And the actions of Wynn’s hotel in Las Vegas achieved both of those ends. And by motivating employees to put the guest first, it also helps raise the overall guest experience, which is the most important part of any hotel stay.
“The guest experience is the beginning, the middle and the end,” Wynn said.
Wynn also started his speech by (jokingly) announcing his candidacy for president. All joking aside, I’d vote for Wynn. I even have his campaign slogan ready: “Wynn for the win!”
Why should you vote for him, besides all the reasons? Well, he can successfully run a multibillion-dollar company; he knows how to squeeze every last drop of productivity out of his charges; and he can wear an electric blue suit like nobody’s business.
Tweet of the week
Not everyone approves of my endorsement.
@shawn_turner1 because there aren't enough stories about Shelly Adelson's White House ambitions?? — Josh Gold (@JGoldny) June 1, 2015
Email Shawn A. Turner or find him on Twitter or Facebook.
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