A drive for consistency in managing guest experiences

Hyatt Regency Saipan Food & Beverage director Ty Pauling said that customer satisfaction is a consistent thing they want to achieve every single day at the hotel. (BEA CABRERA)

Food and beverage directors in hotels are often portrayed in movies as someone who wears a dapper suit, has effortless patter, and a ready set of pearly whites for guests.

Ty Pauling, who holds that position at Hyatt Regency Saipan for six years now, has the latter two qualities hands down. He loves to chat with Hyatt guests and always has a smile on his face but, instead of a suit, he wears an island-style shirt. Underneath all that is the drive to achieve everyday goals for the hotel and being consistent with the hotel’s standards.

“…I spend a lot of my time on the floor walking around, talking to people, getting to know them, and finding out what their experience is like,” he said. “But the most important thing we want to achieve everyday is consistency.”

A lot of that means supporting the Hyatt staff, Pauling said, about their ideas and the needs that they have for training and program development across all outlets.

“…From the guests’ perspective, we always make sure that they are comfortable, welcomed and that the staff from our team that they interact with provide touches of Hyatt, which is caring for people so they can be their best,” he added.

The name Hyatt is considered one of the world’s top hospitality companies and this resonates and is cascaded to all affiliates, including at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.

Being in the hospitality industry, Hyatt always prioritizes customer satisfaction, while providing the services available at the Hyatt, whether that is accommodations, restaurants, or other amenities.

“…What we especially love about hospitality is no day is exactly the same as before,” Pauling said. “We always have meetings, appointments and things to do and circumstances throws curve balls at you every day because we are dealing with people and things that happen. Everyday changes and that’s what I enjoy about what I do the most.”

With Hyatt Regency Saipan celebrating 39 years of being on Saipan this year, Pauling said this underscores the fact that the company nurtures and values its relationship with the Commonwealth.

“We have been through two super typhoons and, on both occasions, Hyatt was packed with people. There was a lot of raw emotions that came before and after the typhoons and many thanked the Hyatt for the work and services we provide,” he said.

These, among other things, is the bedrock of why Hyatt is in the hospitality business, Pauling said, adding that Hyatt is here to get to know the people in the community.

And it’s not just knowing people but forging meaningful connection with them with strong yet effortless touches such as simply remembering their beverage preferences, favorite seats, or having the band play their favorite song.

“Things like that, we take personally,” Puling said.

Work fills a large part of a person’s life and, for Pauling, if he didn’t love working for Hyatt, this job would be draining.

“Hotel work is a job you won’t be effective in if you you’re not committed and my 15 years of consecutively working in this industry has taught me that,” he said.

He assured that that commitment to all Hyatt guests and to the greater CNMI community is shared by everyone at the Hyatt.

“From the owner to all of its employees, Hyatt is committed to our guests and the community through good times and bad times. …I love my job and spend everyday working with other departments to have that coherent and fluid experience for the staff and guests,” he added.