December 24, 2018
When the owners of your community are the people responsible for bringing The Ritz-Carlton to Dallas, you know their expectations for a certain level of service and hospitality are set at a high bar. Walking through the doors of HarborChase of the Park Cities, the owners’ commitment to creating the look and feel of a boutique hotel, the comfort of a luxury residential home, and the attentiveness of a country club is apparent. Our challenge? How to match that first impression and exceed every notion of quality hospitality and service in senior living. Here are two ways we’re meeting that challenge.
To ensure that every associate understands their role in our culture of hospitality and service, we brought in international etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore for an etiquette and hospitality training program. Developed for HRA by Whitmore, founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach and a popular guest on radio and television programs around the world, it is the first of its kind in our industry. She conducted a day of training and demonstrations with the full team on topics including professional appearance, small talk and conversational skills, silverware savvy and place settings, among others. The result? Each associate is now better equipped to deal with our discerning clientele with poise and confidence.
Another offering that elevates our hospitality message is the dedicated concierge for our Penthouse apartments. While we have a 24-hour concierge in our reception lobby, we believed that residents of the premium-priced Penthouse apartments would appreciate having their own personal concierge. Just as a concierge in a luxury hotel or resort, the Penthouse concierge will assist with such tasks as making restaurant reservations, arranging for spa services, booking transportation, procuring tickets to events and performances, and other special requests. We are excited to see how this service is utilized by our first residents.
As a final note, we realized the moment we opened our doors that it wasn’t enough to simply have a stunningly beautiful building. It’s incumbent upon us to breathe warmth and grace into the spaces each day through our gifts of hospitality and service. And we’ll continue to give our associates the tools and training to make that happen.
By Heather Corton, CDAL
Executive Director
HarborChase of the Park Cities
Harbor Retirement Associates
