Marina Del Rey Marriott

The Challenge - The Marina del Rey Marriott arrival score ranked 43rd out of 46 hotels at the end of 2008.  Local management was not pleased with this mediocre result and they approached us with a challenge to help them improve their ranking.

Our Solution - After a series of meetings with the “front” of the property staff including doormen, valets and bellmen, we devised and implemented new guest hand-off procedures to ensure comprehensive and consistent coverage at the “front” of the property.

The Results - As a result of our program, the Marina del Rey Marriott is currently ranked 8th out of 46 hotels on the arrival score metric.  Plus, the staff is doing a better job of working together and they feel more empowered based on increased feedback from guests and management.

Here is what Doug Smith, Assistant General Manager at the Marina del Rey Marriott, has to say about the drastic improvement:

“The Minuteman Parking team has done a fantastic job focusing on the customer, and dramatically improving our customer satisfaction scores. They have created an arrival experience that exceeds our customer’s expectations.”

Specifically, the Minuteman solution included:

• Upfront meetings - The upfront meetings were moderated by the local Minuteman Parking onsite team and were essential to identifying the root causes of the low arrival score.
• Daily training huddles - The training huddles were used to get the team together to discuss the service initiative for the day.  While these meetings did not take very much time, they serve to set the tone for each day and get the team focused on delivering superior service.
• Toys for kids - During the Summer months when many people are traveling with children, we started handing out small toys to customers with children.   The toys included “Bob the Bear” for children which is a Marina del Rey teddy bear and an arrival gift bag for families which included a Marina del Rey Marriott beach bag with a bucket, shovel and sun screen.  These simple gestures went a long way towards making customers feel good about choosing Marriott as their hotel option, and eased the challenges of families traveling with children.
• Shortened valet shifts - The shortened valet shifts provide Marriott with more available attendants during peak times which serves to minimize wait times for customers arriving and departing the property.  We are providing the same amount of labor, but with more resources for certain peak time periods.
• Tracking - To measure the effectiveness of our training, we started tracking how many different attendants in the front used each customer’s name.
• Vision - Now the entire staff has the same vision how superior customer service should be delivered for the Marina del Rey Marriott, and they are working together to achieve that goal.

“I Don’t Think We’re Liable For That” is the last thing you want to hear from your valet parking company.  

And for the record, Minuteman Parking has never had a Transformer eat any of the cars under our responsibility.

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Customer Would you pull my car up please?

Valet attendent - Silver SUV?  Coming right up.

Valet atendent - Wow, look at your car…I don’t think we’re liable for that.

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In the August 31, 2009 addition of “Another Day” which is the daily news for St. Joseph Hospital Employees, Robert Fairrington the Minuteman Parking Company Manager at The Center for Cancer Prevention and Pavilion was interviewed.  Robert joined Minuteman Parking Company 2007 as a valet and quickly moved up the ranks due to his great patient care service and leadership of other team members.  Robert has inspired his team not to just help the patients they encounter but CARE about them and make every encounter a Sacred Encounter.

Robert is truly living the Minuteman Parking Company Commitments to Excellence; he makes a difference every day.

Sacred Staff Encounter

Robert Fairrington

Minute Man Parking Management Team

Robert, what is your background?

I’m a native of Orange, born at St. Joseph Hospital. Every time I was hurt growing up, this is where I came. Three years ago while going to Fullerton College for my B.S. in Business Administration and working at a machine shop, I was looking for a second job. I started working outside of the Emergency Department as a valet. Two years ago I began working here full time and joined the management team. I’m contracted with Minute Man Parking to provide services at the Pavilion and The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.

What do Sacred Encounters mean to you?

It’s an incident that makes you feel the compassion and caring that’s here. It goes beyond your expectations. Our team has a “Wow” journal to record and encourage Sacred Encounters. It has entries such as patients bringing us cookies and brownies, and notes indicating the make and model of a patient’s car, so that when they return we can greet them by name, or realize that Mr. Smith needs a wheelchair. Parking can be a source of frustration for many people so anytime I can make a patients experience any easier I feel I have helped with the healing process.

Can you relay a specific Sacred Encounter you’ve experienced here?

I know some of our patients since my days as a valet. There’s a man who has been coming here with his wife for cancer treatment for over two years. I sometimes see her getting coffee while I’m getting breakfast at the Pavilion. She knows my history and always asks about my family. They’ve had a rough battle but she maintains good spirits and is always real and personable. It’s always neat to see her. It has gone beyond a working relationship to a personal friend, who I can share concerns and feelings with.

What do you like doing outside of work?

Snowboarding, skateboarding, working on my jeep, going to the desert, off-roading, mountain biking and everything outdoors.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

Sushi Yosuke in Anaheim Hills. I especially like the albacore and blue fin tuna.