The Ritz-Carlton Today
The company grew to become the hospitality leader in the US under the leadership of President and COO Horst Schulze. Schulze instituted a company-wide concentration on both the personal and the data-driven sides of service: He coined the company's well-known customer/employee-centered credo, "We are Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen" and the set of specific service standards on which The Ritz-Carlton employees base service through the present day. Under his leadership the hotels earned an unprecedented two Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards and grew from four to forty U.S. locations.
During this time, The Ritz-Carlton also became known for its influence on service in a wide range of industries, through the creation of The Ritz-Carlton Learning Institute and The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, created by then-Ritz executive Leonardo Inghilleri, who was an architect of the Ritz's second Baldrige award, where executives from other companies worldwide in many disciplines come to learn The Ritz-Carlton principles of service.
In 1995, Marriott International purchased a 49% stake in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and in 1998, purchased an additional 50% stake in the company giving it 99% ownership of the company when Schulze left with other executives including Leonardo Inghilleri, Robert A. Warman, Peter Schoch and others to create the West Paces Hotel Group, purveyors of the Capella and Solís hotel imprints.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is now headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, located in the Washington, D.C. MSA.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company partnered with Bulgari in 2001 to operate a chain of hotels owned by and operated under the BVLGARI brand.
The company also has marketing agreements with Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and the privately owned Ritz-Carlton Montreal, The Ritz Hotel London and the Hotel Ritz Madrid.
Simon Cooper joined The Ritz-Carlton in 2001 as President and Chief Operating Officer taking the helm from Horst Schulze. Cooper's mandate was to grow the chain through hotel expansion and product diversification. Under Cooper's watch the company has aggressively expanded its hotels and has added The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton (private residential units) as well as The Ritz-Carlton Club (fractional ownership residences) to the company's new development program.
On August 12, 2010, The Ritz-Carlton announced their new President and Chief Operations Officer would be Herve Humler. He is one of the founders from 1983, and will be responsible for leading brand operations and global growth strategy.
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