The Science Behind the Smile
Seabourn’s exceptional service turns a great vacation into the voyage of a lifetime
Imagine sitting on your own private veranda on a yacht anchored in a cove near Tahiti, with the morning sun rising over the island. It’s a tropical paradise, a scene right out of a Gauguin painting, complete with seabirds rising on the warm winds, a turquoise reef in the distance, and local fishermen motoring past in a small boat. You will hold this picture in your mind’s eye forever.
There is a knock at the door, and the steward enters your suite carrying a silver tray with the light breakfast you ordered. You can smell the coffee and freshly baked croissants. He sets it down, along with a pitcher of orange juice. You ask him if it’s freshly squeezed, to make conversation more than anything. He says he’ll find out, and returns five minutes later with a new pitcher. “It is now,” he says, smiling. “I squeezed it myself.”
To those who have never experienced a journey with The Yachts of Seabourn, this story might appear like a tall tale. But members of the Seabourn Club, its large roster of repeat guests, know it’s simply another one of the extraordinary gestures that staff makes to guests on each of its singular yachts.
“A guest aboard one of our yachts was chatting to his tablemates and mentioned he had enjoyed a linzertorte pastry in Vienna the year before,” says Pamela C. Conover, Seabourn president and CEO. “The next night, at another table, with a different waiter, the pastry chef sent out a lovely linzertorte as a surprise dessert. The assistant waiter had overhead the comment the night before, and that was all it took. We have many, many stories like that.”
While there is a certainly an art to this quality of service, Seabourn has also raised the training to a science. Candidates must undergo intensive training at Seabourn Academy, where they acquire skills and knowledge to carry out their duties at sea. They take classes in maritime safety, health training, and other disciplines needed to work well with the guests. They also undergo a rigorous three-week training period on one of the vessels. During their orientation into the Seabourn style of cruising, they shadow an experienced crew member to obtain hands-on experience. After graduation, cadets begin their careers at sea.
Seabourn recruiters seek candidates who are ambitious, dedicated, friendly, and self-motivated, “but most of all we seek staff who genuinely care about making our guests happy,” says Christopher Prelog, director of hotel operations. “The rest we can teach.”
Many candidates never stop learning. “If a waiter wants to take a course during vacation to enhance his or her culinary knowledge, the company will support this to the greatest extent possible,” says Prelog. “We also employ three Master Sommeliers, which is extraordinary for an organization of our size, and they give wine classes to the rest of the brigade, or anyone else who wants to learn more.”
Each staff member carries “The 12 Points of Seabourn Hospitality,” a set of guidelines that directs the right course of action in virtually every encounter with guests. One point notes that any crew member receiving a guest’s request now “owns” that request. “We pride ourselves on letting staff members make their own decisions to exceed a guest’s expectations,” says Prelog. “We encourage our staff to take ownership of any issue and resolve it to the best of their abilities. Nobody gets passed off, and a staff member is never reprimanded for a decision.”
In one situation, an older couple was cruising off South America. The couple had set up photos of their grandchildren in their suite, and each day, they put small souvenirs in front of each photo. Because they went on a side trip to Machu Picchu, they missed two ports of call. “When they re-embarked, they discovered that their stewardess had gone ashore and bought small gifts in those ports, placing in front of the pictures just as the couple had,” says Prelog. “The woman was moved to tears by that gesture.”
“Have fun!” is another of the 12 Points. “Our guests are impressed when they see our staff working hard, but having fun at the same time,” says Prelog. “That can make a huge difference in their experience. It’s not something they see in a lot of other places.”
Of course, the staff never loses sight of the guest’s happiness. “Our focus is on personalization of service,” says Prelog. “Our staff is encouraged to tailor their service styles to the person in front of them. Some guests like things to be formal and reserved. Others like to kid around and have fun with the waiters. It’s a skill they practice all the time.”
Culinary excellence is also part of the Seabourn experience. The six yachts’ kitchen more closely resemble gourmet restaurants than ship galleys and turn out meals prepared à la minute, to order, just like the finest shoreside restaurants. “Our guests dine in the very best restaurants when they’re not sailing with us,” says Seabourn Spirit’s executive chef Bjoern Wassmuth . “So their expectations are high, and since they eat with us every night, it’s important to provide variety.”
Wassmuth supplements the onboard fare with local produce and fish and uses recipes from chef Charlie Palmer, who tends to choose bold flavors with quality ingredients. Wassmuth also adds his own creations, and simple, classic dishes like roast chicken, steak and Caesar salad.
Guests are also invited to solicit dishes. According to Wassmuth, a guest once asked about cinnamon ice cream. The chef onboard, who had never tried it, researched it online and made seven different recipes. “He had a tasting of all seven with his staff,” recalls Wassmuth. “He served the best one the next night. We still use that recipe.”
That extreme dedication to satisfaction is just another example of the lengths Seabourn staff goes for their guests, whether it’s cinnamon ice cream or freshly squeezed orange juice.
For more information, contact a travel agent, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit www.seabourn.com .