Ritz-Carlton

· Whoare the Ritz Carlton customers, and what specific aspects of the market are theytargeting?

· Doesthe Ritz Carlton have a service culture? If so, what have they done to createit, and what will they need to do to sustain it?

· Howimportant is leadership in the creation of a service culture? Why?

· Whatare the decision factors for the Ritz as they consider opening a new property?Draw the parallels that exist between the decisions that confront the Ritz andwhat has been discussed in class thus far relative to service operationsmanagement.

· Whatare some of the challenges presented by the Washington DC property that may beunique vs. the openings of the other properties?

· Discussthe operational standards that are important to the Ritz? How do they reinforcethese, and how do they measure them?

· Describethe Seven Day Countdown process and its importance to the Ritz strategy,organizational readiness and the challenges that it may present.

Case Study Write up: Should the RitzCarlton change the Seven Day Countdown process?