June 20, 2025 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, a legend and leader in the hotel industry, Horst Schulze has reshaped how service and hospitality are defined in business, setting standards that have become world-famous. Over the years, he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of the luxury hotel chain, the Ritz-Carlton, in 1983. Horst is a Christian who lives out his faith in both his business and personal life.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people,
and we love to hear your stories. You're the hour
in our American Story. Send them to our American Stories
dot com. There are some of our favorites, and one
of our favorite recurring types of stories to tell is
(00:32):
the story of founders, of people who start things, who
have the courage and the desire to do so. And
it is no simple thing to do, and we don't
spend nearly enough time in this country talking about people
who start things. Today, we're going to tell the story
of a legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Shultzi,
(00:53):
and how he reshaped how service and hospitality are defined
in the business world that have become world famous Throughout
the years. Chelsea worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt
Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of
the luxury hotel chain The Rich Carlton in nineteen eighty three.
(01:18):
Cost is also a Christian and tries his best to
live by his faith at home and at work. Here's
a story of how he deals with and thinks about
his employees his company and the founding vision of the
rich Carlton.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We, particularly in our industry, be higher because our industry
has over one hundred percent turnover. They're constantly opened chops
in a hotel and these chops have to be filled.
So what do we do will be higher? And we said, finally,
we're not going to do that. We're going to select.
We're going to suffer through the open chop until we
(02:00):
have somebody who actually fits into it. By the way
we went to the point it tooken an average of
ten interviews before we filled the job, including dishwashers, but
we didn't fill them. And then, of course, so we selected.
We created a profile around each job category and then
(02:20):
hired against this profile below that was the talent really needed.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
For this job.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So that's was the selection. So we went into major
careful selecting. Kind of a funny example here is Dorman. Well,
we found after we were working and we interviewed our
five top dormen that they had all one thing in common.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Their hobby was gardening.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Now wow, but other words, they like to be outside
and the do But what would we have done in
hiring somebody We probably would have liked somebody that loves
computer work in a room somewhere by himself, and we
put me in as a domain and vice versa.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
But so we did selection and done.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Of course orientation, and that's that was one of the
keys again of our success. Absolutely and I'm absolutely sellous
about that.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
That the orientation.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
When I see orientation being done, and nearly every company
is totally wrong.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
What happens most of the time, most of.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
The time, the new employee, and let's say it so hotel,
it could be any any business. The new leader comes
to work, the bid, the manager the department had makes
we're a team speech, which is pretty pathetic. It happens everywhere.
We're a team here and done and done. What what
(03:49):
is a team? A team is a group of people
who help each other toward a common goal, objective vision.
But that's not being the vision is not the goal
is not being given.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Just we're a team.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
And so Bill, the new vadera Now, after the team speech,
the boss said, Now, Bill worked with Joe over here
because Joe knows the ropes, which is really funny because
you're not in a raw business. But somehow he knows
ropes and we turn them over and Joe the Vida
(04:31):
does their nine months and knows the rope tells Bill
the new Vada on the way to the kitchen. This
company is not good.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
That's his orientation. What do we possibly expect from that employee?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
It's crazy. We did our orientation. We went so far
as to the first day. Orientation has to happen the
first day because that is when people are willing to
change their behavior, because it's the first day to work.
Is a significant emotion event when you can impact behavior.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
So we didn't do it the second day.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
The first day and so far that when we needed
a certain job to be filled and we found an
ideal a candidate, we offered a job to the candidate,
but he couldn't come to work until the day of orientation,
but we paid them. The first day had to be oriented,
(05:33):
and the first day we talked about who we are,
what is do we how do we treat guests, how
do we say hello?
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Where are we going? What is the dream of this organization.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We invited them to be part of the dream, not
part of the function. We hired them and oriented them
to be part of a dream, the vision of the company,
to be the leader in the in the service industry
in the world in our case.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Join this dream.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
But we connected to the motive of the dream also
the first day. And here's why we dream about that,
because that will create respect for all of us. We
connected ours to them. That creates opportunity for all of us.
That creates armor for all of us, that creates we
define ourselves that way together. That creates more income for
(06:26):
all of us. So that's why you have to join
this dream. Adam Smith and wrote the book Besides Wealth
of Nation where he identified that people cannot relate or
to orders and direction.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
And what do we do?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We give orders and direction all they long, he said,
people can only relate to object, even motive, vision and
motive bank book there's Adam Smith And by the way,
Aristartled wrote that in order to be fulfilled in life,
you need purpose and belong. Well, the vision is a
(07:02):
purpose that we give people. Why would we give him that?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Here is why?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And they can buy in right just given the direction
you tell them why and paying the buy in, so
it becomes a total different relationship as you will, and
totally different buy in and a total again, total different
alignment because they know why, they don't know, don't just
know you because what does a what do some posts say?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Why should I do that? The answer because.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Wow, that's how we treat human beings, that we treat
our neighbors. We cannot get away from the fact if
I'm a Christian, I cannot get away from the fact
I cannot dismiss my employees or my costmers of not
being my neighbors.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Come on, it's kind of pretty said.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I have to give it at least sometimes thoughts that
I have to supposed to love my neighbor myself, and
that incidentally they are enable us.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And a great job on the storytelling by Greg Hengler,
and a special thanks to Horace Schultzy for sharing the
story of the rich Carlton at least one part, which
is how to hire and motivate folks, and he tells
a compelling story about how to do so. By the way.
His book Excellence Wins, a no nonsense guide to becoming
the best in a world of compromise, is a must
(08:27):
read for anybody leading anybody anywhere, and it all starts
with vision casting and motivating folks to do their best.
And my goodness, the other thing, clearly, if you've ever
been to a rich Carlton is service and service to others,
and having the mission of the company and the enterprise
serving the customer and not the customer serving the enterprise.
(08:50):
By the way, I love the quote from Adam Smith.
People cannot relate to orders and direction. They respond to
vision and to motive, and no finer words could be
said to hear. Some of the other Horse Shelty pieces,
by the way, go to Ouramerican stories dot com, including
the terrific one about his life story, an immigrant story
coming from Germany to the United States well to pursue
(09:14):
his dream and the rich Carlton was not only his dream,
but the tens of thousands of employees who work there.
The story of Horse Shelty here on our American Stories
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people,
and we love to hear your stories. You're the hour
in our American Story. Send them to our American Stories
dot com. There are some of our favorites, and one
of our favorite recurring types of stories to tell is
(00:32):
the story of founders, of people who start things, who
have the courage and the desire to do so. And
it is no simple thing to do, and we don't
spend nearly enough time in this country talking about people
who start things. Today, we're going to tell the story
of a legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Shultzi,
(00:53):
and how he reshaped how service and hospitality are defined
in the business world that have become world famous Throughout
the years. Chelsea worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt
Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of
the luxury hotel chain The Rich Carlton in nineteen eighty three.
(01:18):
Cost is also a Christian and tries his best to
live by his faith at home and at work. Here's
a story of how he deals with and thinks about
his employees his company and the founding vision of the
rich Carlton.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We, particularly in our industry, be higher because our industry
has over one hundred percent turnover. They're constantly opened chops
in a hotel and these chops have to be filled.
So what do we do will be higher? And we said, finally,
we're not going to do that. We're going to select.
We're going to suffer through the open chop until we
(02:00):
have somebody who actually fits into it. By the way
we went to the point it tooken an average of
ten interviews before we filled the job, including dishwashers, but
we didn't fill them. And then, of course, so we selected.
We created a profile around each job category and then
(02:20):
hired against this profile below that was the talent really needed.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
For this job.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So that's was the selection. So we went into major
careful selecting. Kind of a funny example here is Dorman. Well,
we found after we were working and we interviewed our
five top dormen that they had all one thing in common.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Their hobby was gardening.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Now wow, but other words, they like to be outside
and the do But what would we have done in
hiring somebody We probably would have liked somebody that loves
computer work in a room somewhere by himself, and we
put me in as a domain and vice versa.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
But so we did selection and done.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Of course orientation, and that's that was one of the
keys again of our success. Absolutely and I'm absolutely sellous
about that.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
That the orientation.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
When I see orientation being done, and nearly every company
is totally wrong.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
What happens most of the time, most of.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
The time, the new employee, and let's say it so hotel,
it could be any any business. The new leader comes
to work, the bid, the manager the department had makes
we're a team speech, which is pretty pathetic. It happens everywhere.
We're a team here and done and done. What what
(03:49):
is a team? A team is a group of people
who help each other toward a common goal, objective vision.
But that's not being the vision is not the goal
is not being given.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Just we're a team.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
And so Bill, the new vadera Now, after the team speech,
the boss said, Now, Bill worked with Joe over here
because Joe knows the ropes, which is really funny because
you're not in a raw business. But somehow he knows
ropes and we turn them over and Joe the Vida
(04:31):
does their nine months and knows the rope tells Bill
the new Vada on the way to the kitchen. This
company is not good.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
That's his orientation. What do we possibly expect from that employee?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
It's crazy. We did our orientation. We went so far
as to the first day. Orientation has to happen the
first day because that is when people are willing to
change their behavior, because it's the first day to work.
Is a significant emotion event when you can impact behavior.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
So we didn't do it the second day.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
The first day and so far that when we needed
a certain job to be filled and we found an
ideal a candidate, we offered a job to the candidate,
but he couldn't come to work until the day of orientation,
but we paid them. The first day had to be oriented,
(05:33):
and the first day we talked about who we are,
what is do we how do we treat guests, how
do we say hello?
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Where are we going? What is the dream of this organization.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We invited them to be part of the dream, not
part of the function. We hired them and oriented them
to be part of a dream, the vision of the company,
to be the leader in the in the service industry
in the world in our case.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Join this dream.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
But we connected to the motive of the dream also
the first day. And here's why we dream about that,
because that will create respect for all of us. We
connected ours to them. That creates opportunity for all of us.
That creates armor for all of us, that creates we
define ourselves that way together. That creates more income for
(06:26):
all of us. So that's why you have to join
this dream. Adam Smith and wrote the book Besides Wealth
of Nation where he identified that people cannot relate or
to orders and direction.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
And what do we do?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We give orders and direction all they long, he said,
people can only relate to object, even motive, vision and
motive bank book there's Adam Smith And by the way,
Aristartled wrote that in order to be fulfilled in life,
you need purpose and belong. Well, the vision is a
(07:02):
purpose that we give people. Why would we give him that?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Here is why?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And they can buy in right just given the direction
you tell them why and paying the buy in, so
it becomes a total different relationship as you will, and
totally different buy in and a total again, total different
alignment because they know why, they don't know, don't just
know you because what does a what do some posts say?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Why should I do that? The answer because.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Wow, that's how we treat human beings, that we treat
our neighbors. We cannot get away from the fact if
I'm a Christian, I cannot get away from the fact
I cannot dismiss my employees or my costmers of not
being my neighbors.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Come on, it's kind of pretty said.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I have to give it at least sometimes thoughts that
I have to supposed to love my neighbor myself, and
that incidentally they are enable us.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And a great job on the storytelling by Greg Hengler,
and a special thanks to Horace Schultzy for sharing the
story of the rich Carlton at least one part, which
is how to hire and motivate folks, and he tells
a compelling story about how to do so. By the way.
His book Excellence Wins, a no nonsense guide to becoming
the best in a world of compromise, is a must
(08:27):
read for anybody leading anybody anywhere, and it all starts
with vision casting and motivating folks to do their best.
And my goodness, the other thing, clearly, if you've ever
been to a rich Carlton is service and service to others,
and having the mission of the company and the enterprise
serving the customer and not the customer serving the enterprise.
(08:50):
By the way, I love the quote from Adam Smith.
People cannot relate to orders and direction. They respond to
vision and to motive, and no finer words could be
said to hear. Some of the other Horse Shelty pieces,
by the way, go to Ouramerican stories dot com, including
the terrific one about his life story, an immigrant story
coming from Germany to the United States well to pursue
(09:14):
his dream and the rich Carlton was not only his dream,
but the tens of thousands of employees who work there.
The story of Horse Shelty here on our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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