Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) awarded Grand Hyatt São Paulo the
company’s second annual CEO’s Award for Innovation for its empathy-based
approach to building emotional connections with guests and one another.
Evaluated by President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian and a panel of
leadership, the global award recognizes one hotel or team that has
fostered innovation to positively evolve the guest experience.
Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo, led by General Manager Thierry Guillot, earned this year's CEO's Award for Innovation. (Photo: Business Wire)
Through use of Hyatt Thinking, which is derived from Stanford Design
School’s approach to human-centered design, the team at Grand Hyatt São
Paulo launched the “Sponsor of Love” initiative. This new way of
expressing authentic hospitality to guests and colleagues has become an
enduring part of Grand Hyatt São Paulo’s identity.
“Finding new ways to care for guests and each other as colleagues is the
future of our business,” Hoplamazian said. “The team at Grand Hyatt São
Paulo used Hyatt’s unique approach to listening and putting themselves
in the shoes of others to redefine the experience for guests and
colleagues. Feedback and results show the hotel’s colleagues are more
engaged, and guests have taken notice of the deeper empathy and
connection during their stays.”
After listening to guests and colleagues to determine their emotionally
driven needs, colleagues heard loud and clear that guests’ preference
for a hotel hinged on personal connections established with its people.
As a result, the hotel launched an initiative and communications
campaign to encourage new ways to build those connections and sharing of
examples. A new back-of-house game allowed colleagues to move further in
the game with each caring action and finish with a “Sponsor of Love”
designation. There are now more than 250 ambassadors across the hotel.
The hotel’s colleagues have designed and implemented a revised
pre-arrival experience, a welcome courtesy call after check-in, weekend
tips for guests staying longer, new food availability during busy lobby
periods, and a refreshed Very Important Kid (VIK) program. Additionally,
the Sponsor of Love program continues to bring meaningful improvement in
the hotel’s guest satisfaction measures and overall colleague engagement.
“We started this initiative more than a year ago, and it has really
changed the way we operate and approach our mission of authentic
hospitality. Sponsor of Love has helped us to unleash our potential so
that we care for our guests and each other in a more holistic way and
with a higher level of emotion,” said Thierry Guillot, general manager
of Grand Hyatt São Paulo. “I am so proud of our team and what we have
been accomplishing, and we are honored to receive this year the CEO’s
Innovation Award.”
About Grand Hyatt São Paulo
Grand Hyatt São Paulo, the first Hyatt hotel in Brazil, is a reference
of exceptional service and hospitality in the city. The Grand feeling
comes from a dramatic architectural setting surrounded by glass,
flooding the space with natural light. This stylish landmark hotel
features superior accommodation and services in 466 guestrooms
(including 34 suites), three signature restaurants (Eau French Grill,
Kinu Japanese restaurant and local comfort food restaurant C-Cultura
Caseira), a bar with a terrace (Upstairs Bar), a wine cellar (Wine
Library), an urban spa (Amanary), and state-of-the-art conference and
events facilities (with two ballrooms with capacity for up to 1,400
people, 10 meeting rooms with a complete technological infrastructure,
and several indoor and outdoor pre-function areas).
About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global
hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more
than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a
difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by
providing authentic hospitality. The Company's subsidiaries manage,
franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®,
Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt
House®, Hyatt Zilara™ and Hyatt
Ziva™ brand names and have locations on
six continents. Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt
Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or
licenses Hyatt Residences® and Hyatt Residence Club®.
As of June 30, 2014, the Company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 563
properties in 48 countries. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
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