1994
Horst Schulze's vision of quality service and commitment to excellence has established the Ritz-Carlton as the leading hotel company in the world. Called the "spiritual and practical leader of the Ritz-Carlton philosophy," Schulze is an inspiration to his company associates, colleagues in the industry and faculty and students in professional training.
Schulze grew up in the hotel industry, beginning as a waiter apprentice at age 14. Throughout his career, he held key positions in many of the major hotels of Europe and the US prior to joining U.B. Johnson Properties, the parent company to the Ritz-Carlton, in 1983. His conviction that there must be a better way to improve the quality of the guest experience led him to accept the Ritz-Carlton challenge to develop a truly unique concept of service.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, operates an impressive chain of business and resort hotels in the United States and around the world. Its customer service focus and commitment to continuous quality improvement have become the company's hallmarks of success. The Ritz-Carlton received 121 quality-related awards in 1991 alone, and in 1992 it won the covered Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The company was ranked the best in the industry by all three major hotel-rating organizations, including "Best Hotel Chain in the United States" by the prestigious Zagat Travel Survey in 1993.
