Not since Churchill brought American might to Europe in hues of resolve and optimism has one man and his team encouraged so much transatlantic movement. Max Zanardi, General Manager at Ritz-Carlton’s five star Powerscourt hotel, located just outside the Irish capital, has achieved for Ireland what no political leader has managed in the midst of this economic battlefield. If proof were needed that quality sells, and people matter, this is the short story of business resilience and brand leadership.

“The Ritz-Carlton brand represents so much, and during the financial crisis we tried to make sure the brand promise did not change,” said Zanardi. He added: “We stayed true to our core values, maintained marvellous quality and focused on the long-term. The situation for all hotel groups has been tough, but we are not compromising, or asking the guest to forgive a minor experience. We are focused on value, more than driving prices down, and yes, all the prices are down, right across the sector, this is not a secret.”

Zanardi leads like all successful commanders when faced with insurmountable challenges, from the front, and drawing on every experience, from every dot on the map. Italian born Zanardi joined Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt in July 2008 from his post as Executive Assistant Manager (EAM) Food & Beverage at the Hotel Arts Barcelona, Spain, and previous to that, he served as EAM, Food & Beverage for The Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort in Portugal - both hotels are managed by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Prior to his position in Portugal, Zanardi was EAM, Food & Beverage of The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul, where he was a member of the opening team and Executive Committee.

He holds degrees in Hotel & Hospitality Management from the Hotel School of Salsomaggiore Terme in Parma and the Cornell University in Bruxelles, where he completed the Professional Development Program in 2003.

He explained: “What excites me about the Ritz-Carlton brand is something so basic, but so powerful. It’s not about training the right people, but choosing the right people in the first place, taking care of them, creating opportunities for them produces great results. Ritz-Carlton is there to generate a profit for our stakeholders, make no mistake, but the way we do it is through how we treat our ladies and gentlemen - we don’t call them employees. And this may sound like some management cliché, but it is the daily reality of life in this company. We care, and we are passionate about what we do.”

“Everyone understands that hardware can’t work properly without fantastic software. Fantastic people, this is what makes the difference, you can’t teach people to smile, you can’t teach people to be hospitable, it is inborn; they have to put themselves in the shoes of others, to be empathetic. If you are a receptionist, it is only part of your job, in Ritz-Carlton you are expected to step out of reception to assist a guest - that guest is your priority. But at many other hotels, the receptionist would be reprimanded for leaving the desk, not so with Ritz-Carlton, the team is there to serve the guest, always this our focus.”

“We are increasing our visitor volume from the United States, and I am pleased to say, they usually come and stay for six nights attracted by a package which includes flights. This has been a very successful approach for us, but we need to fight every centimetre, and to tailor each experience. When travel agents come for a site inspection, we have to demonstrate what is different, and so, every site inspection is different; we take them to the kitchen, to meet the pastry chef, to show them that we are eager for their business - we want to convince people that once they are here, they will have the real deal.”

“One of the other things we do as a hotel is to promote modern Ireland. Throughout Continental Europe, when people close their eyes, and think of Ireland, they think of beautiful scenery, and toothless Paddy the fisherman. There is a modern Ireland, that should be proud to look at the future and we are the best presentation of modern Irish hospitality, our motto in this regard is ‘Authentically Irish, Reassuringly Ritz-Carlton’, it captures the essence of who we are as an Irish entity.”

“It is important that the community realizes that though we are an American management company operating in Ireland, we run an Irish business for very proudly Irish owners. The majority of our employees are local, and everybody here is paying taxes in Ireland, in fact we have become the biggest employer in the Wicklow County. We buy all our food locally, our laundry is local, and we are very good stewards of the landscape. As a corporation we want to be an active part of the local community everywhere we run a hotel. We enhance the quality of our environment and help generate additional business. One example is in the local town of Enniskerry. Today, there are American flags in front of the pubs - they were not there three years ago. Last year, we brought over 6000 Americans to the hotel, and we expect to increase this reception in years to come.”

“Of course the recession has had an impact not just on the value of corporate expenditure, but it has shaped a mentality which avoids any appearance of excessive or unnecessary spending, and rightly so. But we are trying to balance this argument, and our approach is that it is not expensive if it produces results.”

“If a company makes an effort to bring their employees to Powerscourt, they need to be sure that their people have a great experience; that they are very well taken care of. If you give them a mediocre experience, what kind of results can you expect from them when they compete in their own market Companies will need to start meeting again, and soon. Directors need to understand that if they do not bring their sales force together, what kind of opportunity will they to have to motivate, to refocus and to achieve? It is the time to meet, to plan, and to advance.”

“For Ireland, the next two to three years will be very tight, very cautious, but we have seen some small shifts in the market, some returns. Asia is back where it was, and the United States are starting to move and meet again, which is great. They are mainly meeting within their country, which is understandable for the moment.”

“As a mark of our confidence in the rise of Europe in the coming years, we recently appointed a new European Sales Manager. We saw that Europe was coming back a bit faster than Ireland, and we have results from nations which would not normally produce revenue for Ireland; and we remain committed to our on-going relationship with high end travel agencies in the USA. So, today, Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt is building one a strong heritage and planning for growth in a strengthening business travel sector.”