Luxury Travel Advisor - January 2009 - (Page 28)

COVER STORY Dan Flannery Luxury Travel Advisor’s Top GM for 2008 to Lead Marriott’s Edition Venture with Ian Schrager hen Dan Flannery, then the vice president and area general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New York and Boston, reached Las Vegas for the Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence, he didn’t think he had a puncher’s chance of winning. After all, he was up against some stiff competition for the top general manager of a luxury resort worldwide award. There were general managers representing hotels from Beverly Hills to Barcelona—some of the most lavish and well-run properties in the world. And here Flannery was, one of 25 nominees. Not bad for a guy who got his start in the business as a busboy 27 years ago in a Marriott in Gaithersburg, MD. “It was just flattering to be nominated,” he says. His wife, whom he met at the Gaithersburg Marriott (she was the bartender), didn’t even make the trip with him. “I told her that there were 25 other nominees, so I probably wouldn’t win,” he recalls. Imagine, then, his shock when the envelope was opened and his name was read aloud as the winner, representing The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park. “Now, that was some surprise,” he says. Maybe to him, but to the travel professionals assembled at the Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas, Flannery was no long shot. W The Ritz-Carlton brand has skyrocketed in excellence and popularity ever since Marriott International purchased an interest in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1995. Where it shines brightest is in its dedication to supreme service. That is a forte of Flannery’s, whose service philosophy has been sharpened and tested over his years as a hotelier. He joined Ritz-Carlton in 2002 as general manager of The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park, which he followed up in 2005 as general manager of The Ritz-Carlton DAN FLANNERY Now: Vice President, Managing Director at Edition Hotels (www.editionhotels.com) Then: Vice President & Area GM of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New York and Boston (www.ritzcarlton.com) Upcoming Edition Hotels (possible): All gateway cities, including Paris, Chicago and Madrid 2009 Ritz-Carlton Openings: Shenzhen, China; Phulay Bay, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve; Charlotte; Lake Tahoe; Dubai Financial Centre; Dove Mountain Accolades: Luxury Travel Advisor’s Awards of Excellence: Top General Manager 2008 New York, Central Park. Prior to joining Ritz-Carlton, there were stints at The Rihga Royal in New York (now The London NYC), New York Marriott Financial Center and New York Marriott Marquis Hotel. Working day to day in this varied mix of properties allowed him to grow his service philosophy among different demographics. “The tricky answer is that it doesn’t matter what our definition of service is,” Flannery says, “it’s what the customer’s definition is. People often ask me what’s the biggest difference between working with Marriott hotels and Ritz-Carlton hotels; when I ran a Marriott, I could make product and service decisions based on my own paradigms and opinions—what was good enough and acceptable to me because, demographically, I am a Marriott customer. But I will never be the top customer of a Ritz-Carlton. We have to understand how our customers live and make interpretations of that in terms of service and amenities we offer. You see fresh flowers, because the guest expects that; you see original artwork because, at home, they have the same.” Unquestionably, the service paradigm that Flannery has helped foster lies in the motivation of the some 520 employees who tend to luxury guests at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, where Flannery has been GM since 2005. For instance, Ritz-Carlton BY DAVID EISEN 28 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | January 2009 http://www.editionhotels.com http://www.ritzcarlton.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Travel Advisor - January 2009

Luxury Travel Advisor - January 2009 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Lucca Egypt Provence Great Honeymoons Cover Story: Dan Flannery Girlfriend Getaways Croatia The Pulse Jetset Report Sightings Meetings & Incentives Supplement Aruba Turks and Caicos Los Angeles Laguna Beach, CA

Luxury Travel Advisor - January 2009

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