Customer Reviews

The Spirit to Serve: Marriott's Way

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4 star:		(3)
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I stayed at a Marriott in Denver last week and found a copy of this book in the nightstand. I expected it to be hogwash and instead found it to be the most useful business book I've ever read. It is a quick read (about 150 pages, not the 240 mentioned in the Amazon catalog). It is entertaining without being self-indulgent and informative without being preachy. The anecdotes revealed an appropriate level of introspection (my one quibble is that Mr. Marriott claims that his family and faith come before business and yet also describes himself as a workaholic). I'm not in the hospitality industry and yet I found dozens of parallels to my own business (computer software and book publishing). Most interesting were the frank assessments of Marriott's business mistakes. He truly used them as an opportunity to learn. The book is chock full of excellent and thought-provoking strategies and totally devoid of the cheesy buzzwords so prevalent in, say, the latest Tom Peters books. Although I have no association with Marriott, the book will cause me to examine the entire service industry in a new light.

In The Spirit To Serve, Bill Marriott offers advice on how to develop the type of management basics and solid core values that made his company an industry leader. These ideas are neither new nor radical. They are the simple lessons that Mr. Marriott has learned during his lifetime tenure at Marriott.

· Take a hands-on approach to your firm. Don't sit at your desk. Walk around your facility and interact with your employees. Make sure they know that you care about what they do.
· Managing well depends on listening well. Cultivate patience and keep an open mind when listening to ideas from employees and customers.
· Give your employees the tools they need to work. Make sure employees are properly trained for their jobs. After training, make sure there are support systems in place to assist employees.
· Offer exceptional employee incentives. Marriott has offered employees a toll-free consultation service, profit-sharing programs, promotion from within and several recognition programs.
· Encourage teamwork among workers. Create an environment in which the rewards of working together outweigh the rewards of individual interest.
· Don't take your partners for granted.
· Discover what works best and do it. Develop detailed standard operating procedures. The right way of doing things is worth making a habit.
· Balance who you are with where you are going. Maintain order within your organization while embracing change.
· Don't let growing pains destroy what you have built. Stay close to the daily grind of your business during periods of growth. Keep a close eye on quality control.
· Don't waffle over decision making. Stand by the decisions you make.
· Learn to recognize boom and bust signals. Pay attention to colleagues, reports and other indicators in your industry to get a realistic picture of what is happening. Don't be overconfident.

I really enjoyed this book. I was vacationing at a Marriott Hotel and actually bought this book I wanted to read it so much (even though I thought it should just be given away to the guests). It did not disappoint me. As one of the other reviewers noted, it was a well-written, easy read.

Mr. Marriott inspired me with the business tips contained in the book. I especially enjoyed reading about the checklists that Marriott Hotels uses in its business. I really like checklists too. Why invent the wheel everytime you want to do something? Why try to remember all of the steps needed to complete a task, such as making up a room at a Marriott Hotel? Why not just find out what works and put it on paper?! In this way, a business can create a standardized process that can be taught to its employees, instead of relying upon each individual's whim. This idea is also discussed in Michael Gerber's excellent book, The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It.

I also enjoyed reading J. W. Marriott, Jr's criticisms of his father's way of making decisions (I also thought it was interesting that he was so negative with regard to his father, in a published book). Jr. said that his father fretted too much about decisions and basically drove himself crazy. Jr. says in this book that one should not try to make a perfect business decision. That involves too much angst and is a waste of time. One should gather the necessary information to make an informed decision as best as one can, then actually make the decision. The price of pefection is prohibitive.

I hope you find this book as enjoyable and as inspiring as I did.

Ran into a copy of this succint biographical book at the Sydney Marriott alongside the Bible/Gita/Buddhist manual, and I wasn't too sanguine about something from the hospitality industry being too relevant to me. But this slim, easy read may actually connect with almost any business person. More so if you are in any way related to customer services or marketing.

Without skipping any beat on chapters of glorious prose, ala TypicalBusinessBook, it shoots straight from the gut about the tenets of Marriott -- how with sheer determination it shot to the big league from a small cottage inn, the MBE leadership style of Marriott (the younger Marriott that is) who prefers to walk his troops instead of boardroom inertia, lessons in team building, the importance of listening to all the levels of the organization, codifying past experiences into business philosophies (not the usual "Best Practices" bromide that is bandied about in elite echelons of business) etc etc.

In all respects, a hidden business gem of a book.

Now the million (ok, 11) dollar question. You can imagine how I got my copy. So would I *buy* this book if I had to? For the basement price, and for the simple but compelling REAL WORLD lessons, most likely yes.

Everyone has probably seen a Marriott Hotel product on one of their drives. They are everywhere and have a diffeerent line of hotels to suit every need from Fairfield Inns, Residence Inns, Courtyard, Marriott, Ritz Carlton and others. What you may not know is the story of how those hotel came to be and what drives the success at Marriott. From their langthy Standards of Operation, to thier treatment of the thier employees is all explained for you to read. You get a great insight on a great company.

While this is not a biography, there are many biographical moments where Mr. Marriott give a little insight on him and why he does what he does at the company. He explains some of the moments from when his father started the busines, to his army days to his life now.

This is not you typical business how to book either because much of the information is geared to Marriott and the lodging industry while leaving it readable for all who want a book on success and business. He also helps to give insights on the Lodging and food industry and should be a must for Hotel and Management Students.

Since I work for a Marriott product, it has help me to understand the organization better which makes me a better employee and more focused. The company has a great reputation and this book helps to define what is expected.

He does explain the four rule of decision making which are:

1. Be willing to make decisions. He fells this are the most
important.
2. Do you homework. Just do not do it to obsession.
3. Listen to your heart. Some times your heart knows best.
4. Don't waiste time regretting. Sometimes a decision will look
better in hine sight, but some times you win, some times you
loose. Just roll with them.

This is a very inspriational book also. Where he speach about his personal experience with a heart attact and his religion.

Recommended for all.

I bought "The sprit to serve" 2 weeks ago for prepare the interview J.W. Marriott Hotel in Seoul on 20th of February. It really helped me to know J.W. Marriott hotel itself, the CEO's hotel management mind, Marriott hotel's begin, success, risk and stable success. I was impressed by the sentence "Take care of associates and they can take care of customers" I read this book 3 times and I will read more for the second interview and just for study hotel management. I'd like to study more about hotel management. I read this book in Korean so I am searching Marriott's way in english and I found the review of this book in amazon. It will help me very much. I really want to be Marriott's family after read this book. In first interview I did my best but still have some regret not to say about this book and my spirit.Good Luck to me. Thank you.

My disclaimer: As with any opinion, it is only my opinion and these reviews will vary depending on who reads the book and what the reader is looking for. I look for ways to improve businesses, and this book surprised me with many ideas and applicable take-a-ways.

On a 1 to 5 scale, 5 being the best:

Readability: 5 This book can be read in about a two hour sitting by an average speed reader like me. Good fodder for a lay over or a one night stay at a hotel. I guess a Marriot hotel?

Information and
new ideas: 5 The book presents many new ideas with twist on older ones.

Applicable Ideas: 5 In the two years since I read the book I've incorporated many of its ideas into the business processes that I have worked with. The ideas that I have applied have been effective in improving sales and customer satisfaction.

Value: 5 I have to give this book a five. After all, I did "Borrow it from the nightstand." I'll return it as soon as I stay in the same hotel and room again. Actually, even if you pay for this book, it is more than worth the money.

I give it a 5 overall. Good reading and great applicable ideas. A good one for anyone's business book collection. Look for it in the right side night stand on your next stay at a Marriot hotel. I'm sure that the author won't mind if you borrow a copy.

Thank you Mr. Marriot and Ms. Brown

Rip Walker
Author: Rip's Book of Common Sense Selling: Improving Sales Through Process Implementation

I am a real estate investor and read this book to learn some principles which apply to my profession. Marriott clearly related historical anectdotes, business principles and his thought processes. I got some insight into Mr. Marriott's personality as well. He has an impressive track record, sound business principles and morals, and a clear and appropriate focus. I found this book very readable and full of things I can apply to my own business.

Great read, especially for the business owner (and hotel/motel owner/employee)

They have stuck to their guidelines and made it through tough times. A wonderful family (the Marriotts) and grateful employees.

Photos are very nice.

An easy read, great reference book!

An excited Thumbs Up for The Spirit To Serve.
It is an easy read that shares valuable concepts with
provocative illustrations and timeless wisdom. This book is a must-read for the aspiring entrepreneur who wants to make customer satisfaction their first priority. I can't say enough...