Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West Review

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(More customer reviews)The problem I face in writing this review is that I don't have all the time and space it would take to do this incredibly well done, truly magnificent history the justice it deserves. Stephen Fried has written at least three histories in this single volume.
The nominal subject is a gentleman named Fred Harvey, a name that is little known among the general public today.
But Fred Harvey was very influential in shaping the development of the American West, the railroad industry (or at least part of it), creating branding and merchandising as we now know it , creating the then new habit of restaurant eating, expanding employment opportunities for women, preserving Native American culture and still more. His son carried on long after Fred Harvey died, but the Harvey empire crumbled with the modern era.
Which is really a pity. I grew up in the twilight of the Fred Harvey era. I still vaguely recall how special eating at the Fred Harvey restaurant at a local railroad terminal was and think I rode on one of the last trains where Fred Harvey's company provided the dining car service.
"Appetite for America" covers Fred Harvey's history. His first big day was the opening of a "eating house" for the Santa Fe, Atchison and Topeka Rail Road in Topeka, Kansas. Eating out, so to speak, was not an experience to be sought after. Places offering food were suspect for many good reasons and the victuals offered were usually mediocre on the best of days. But Fred Harvey changed that: eating at one of Fred Harvey's eating houses was virtually guaranteed a pleasant experience with tasty and nourishing food at reasonable prices. The nation was on the move with the spread of railroads - and Fred Harvey reached a deal with the Santa Fe rail road to feed its ever increasing number of passengers. A shrewd entrepreneur, Harvey realized that creating satisfied customers was the key to success.
He innovated endlessly from his creation of the "Harvey Girls", well dressed, well trained servers which was very much a departure from the norm in those days, to the creation of Fred Harvey hotels and newsstands. Harvey created a vast empire of businesses, the first chain stores in fact, covering the western part of the United States. Part of it lives on in the legendary hotel on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
Friedl covers everything: from Fred Harvey's childhood to the dissolution of the company in the mid 20th Century.
There is so much to tell about that time and the man, his company and family, the railroads, the growth of the nation. Remarkably, Stephen Friedl in what can be fairly described as a triumph of research and good writing tells them all in great detail and interestingly. In fact, this book richly deserves more than a single reading.
I could go on and on about this remarkable multiple history. Friedl even includes recipes from Fred Harvey restaurants that were renowned in their day and still read as if they would be tasty. He recounts the train trip he and his wife took along the path of the old Santa Fe rail road, stopping to hunt for remnants of the Harvey empire. Train lovers, "trainiacs" as Friedl calls them, will love his history of railroading, particularly in the west. Students of business and American history will find much of interest in the detailed descriptions of how Harvey and his successors built and managed their far-flung, multi-faceted empire.
In all, this is an incredibly interesting book, made so by Friedls intensive research and excellent writing style. Very much worth reading more than once.
Jerry


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Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy Review

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Prior to reading Isadore Sharp's memoir, I checked out the biographical information about Four Seasons' founder, chairman, and CEO at the corporate Web site. Here is a portion of it that provides an excellent introduction to his book. As Sharp explains, "The reason for our success is no secret. It comes down to one single principle that transcends time and geography, religion and culture. It's the Golden Rule - the simple idea that if you treat people well, the way you would like to be treated, they will do the same. There was no vision, there was no grand dream," since the first Four Seasons - a modest motor hotel - opened in downtown Toronto. "But there has always been a consistent thread and it propels us forward today, as we continue to grow globally, and that's service." It may seem obvious that in the hotel business, service is a primary objective, but it is how that service is delivered that sets Four Seasons apart. "One way to characterize Four Seasons service would be to call it an exchange of mutual respect performed with an attitude of kindness." Defining and enforcing the company culture was one of four key strategic decisions made in the formative years of Four Seasons history. "I sat down with our communications experts and wrote down the fundamentals of our culture, which is based on the Golden Rule - to treat others as you wish to be treated...A lot of companies talk about having a culture, but we knew we had to walk the talk if we expected it to thrive in our hotels."
The company that was launched in 1961 with a 125-room motor hotel in Toronto now has arguably the most profitable as well as the highest rated luxury hotels in the world, more than 140 in more than 40 countries. Sharp's leadership deserves much of the credit. What I most appreciate about this book is the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that he has discussed so comprehensively and so specifically the process by which the Four Seasons organization has evolved over the past 46 years. There are so many highlights to cover and no one else is better qualified to do so. Here is a representative selection:
1. In 1963, Four Seasons opened its second hotel, Toronto's Inn on the Park. the sophisticated urban resort-style hotel was an instant success.
2. As indicated, throughout its history thus far, Four Seasons made four strategic decisions that formed the pillars of its business platform. The first was about quality. Small, central and well-appointed, with friendly, personalized 24-hour service, the first London hotel was just what people were seeking in the new age of international jet travel at the dawn of the 1970s. Rather than being all things to all people, Four Seasons would focus on one thing: being the best in each location, with medium-sized hotels of exceptional quality.
3. The second key strategic decision that formed the business platform was about service. True luxury is defined not by architecture or décor, but by service. So Four Seasons must make the quality of our service our distinguishing feature and a competitive advantage. In 1976, Four Seasons entered the US market with its first management contract, for San Francisco's 1913 landmark hotel, The Clift.
4. Then in 1979, the first Four Seasons-branded US hotel opened on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. It was service that made the hotel special - so much so that the new Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, was featured in the introduction to Tom Peters' In Search of Excellence. The 1980s unveiled flagship hotels in a dozen other US cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago. Four Seasons as a distinct brand name was coming into its own. Divesting less-strategic properties, the company began to transform itself from a hotel owner-operator into a management company. It also started to manage hotels in mixed-use developments - a new concept at the time - allowing it to extend its expertise into high-quality residential environments.
5. The third of the four strategic decisions that formed the business platform was about culture. Four Seasons had always had an implicit operating philosophy. As the company expanded, Sharp decided to make it explicit. He knew that shared values were essential to the service culture he wanted to create. Therefore, he and his team developed a formal credo, founded on the Golden Rule. This became the cornerstone of Four Seasons culture. 6. The final strategic decision that formed the pillars of the company's business platform was about the brand itself: to grow as a management company and build a brand name synonymous with quality. It began to transform itself from a hotel owner into a management company. This intensified focus freed Four Seasons to concentrate on its greatest strength: serving the luxury traveler.
7. As its fifth decade began, Four Seasons continued to grow - in both size and recognition - around the world. The company now welcomed guests to 50 properties, on every continent except Antarctica. More than ever, Four Seasons Private Residences, Residence Clubs and other branded residential offerings were integrated with urban and resort Four Seasons locations. The strength of the brand remains the same at every location, during each interaction with a guest: a promise of a quality of life.
These are but a few of the highlights throughout a process of Four Seasons' development under Isadore Sharp's leadership as founder, chairman, and CEO. However, as he would be the first to point out, all that has been accomplished thus far is the result of a team effort and he generously (and properly) acknowledges the significant contributions of dozens of his associates throughout the last four decades, including members of his family who shared his dream and also helped to make it a reality: unsurpassed luxury for all seasons.

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The Gaming Industry: Introduction and Perspectives Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book, along with "Casino Operations Management" by Kilby, Fox, and Lucas. Both books were EXTREMELY helpful. They both start by assuming you know nothing about the gaming industry. They then show you the history and the evolution of the industry and then take you under the covers to show you the hows and whys of casino management and its decisions. I would HIGHLY recommend both books to anyone looking to gain insight into this fascinating industry.

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This book covers: the historical background and regulation of gambling; all aspects of casino operations--from food and beverages to cage operations, auditing, marketing, and reporting; and the mathematics and a utility analysis of gaming.

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The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Review

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(More customer reviews)"New Gold Standard" is a super, if slightly older, book on a really important subject: The Ritz-Carlton is one of the organizations whose methodology has truly transformed our understanding of what customer service quality and consistency can be.
I recommend "The New Gold Standard, especially if you're in the hotel business; Michelli, who also wrote The Starbucks Experience, is a consultant who did a great job writing it. I don't agree with the catty comments on this page that its writing style is sleep-inducing, etc. -- I guess they're complaining because it's written in an academic style and is maybe overly deferential to the owners of the Ritz (hey, it is an "official" history). Nonetheless, in my opinion it is still full of many well organized details and a helpful book for anyone in hospitality. Some of the strong points in particular are the historical overview and the interviews Michelli includes.
(One note to be aware of: There's now also a newer book on practical applications of Ritz-Carlton customer service and management techniques that's just come out this May; I really enjoyed it a lot. I got a lot out of this newer book ("Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit"); it's by the founder of the Ritz Carlton Leadership Center along with Horst Schulze, the Founding President of The Ritz. They collaborate with an entrepreneur/systems expert from *outside* of the hospitality industry; this allows them to cover management issues in a lot of depth and in fields that are often far removed from just hotel-industry topics. Here's the link: Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization.


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Discover the secrets of world-class leadership!

When it comes to refined service and exquisite hospitality, one name stands high above the rest: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. With ceaseless attention to every luxurious detail, the company has set the bar for creating memorable customer experiences in world-class settings. Now, for the first time, the leadership secrets behind the company's extraordinary success are revealed.

The New Gold Standard takes you on an exclusive tour behind the scenes of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Granted unprecedented access to the company's executives, staff, and its award-winning Leadership Center training facilities, bestselling author Joseph Michelli explored every level of leadership within the organization. He emerged with the key principles leaders at any company can use to provide a customer experience unlike any other, such as:

Understanding the ever-evolving needs of customers
Empowering employees by treating them with the utmost respect
Anticipating customers' unexpressed needs and concerns
Developing and conducting an unsurpassed training regimen

Sharing engaging stories from the company's employees--from the corporate office and hotels around the globe--Michelli describes the innovative methods the company uses to create peerless guest experiences and explains how it constantly hones and improves them.

The New Gold Standard weaves practical how-to advice, proven leadership tools, and the wisdom of experts to help you create and embed superior customer-service principles, processes, and practices in your own organization.

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