Company: The Venetian & The Palazzo Resort - Casino - Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
Company Description: The Venetian and The Palazzo resort-hotel-casinos, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, are two of the most innovative and forward-looking properties in the hospitality and gaming industry. Part of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. family of properties, The Venetian and The Palazzo set the standard for exceptional service and uncompromising luxury.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - Leisure & Tourism

Nomination Title: The Venetian & The Palazzo's Customer Service Department:

1. Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

How The World's Best Customer Service Built the World's Largest Five-Diamond
Resort

Don't tell the Team Members of The Venetian and The Palazzo that something is
impossible - they'll prove you wrong. When the buzz spread around Las Vegas
that The Venetian had set its sights on a five-diamond rating from AAA, it was
whispered it couldn't be done. The Venetian was too large, the naysayers said,
to provide such a demanding level of customer service. But in November 2007,
the pundits found themselves staring at the world's largest five-diamond
resort. Then in February of 2008, The Palazzo opened, and the results were
spectacular: across the board, The Palazzo scored comparably to The Venetian.

Providing such a high-caliber level of service is no small feat. Between The
Venetian and The Palazzo, over 7,000 luxury suites are maintained with an
almost fanatical attention to detail. The smallest of these suites average 700
square feet, which is roughly twice the size of a typical Las Vegas hotel room.
Connected to these two impressive hotels is the Sands Expo and Convention
center, complete with its 2.25 million square feet of meeting and event space.
Hundreds of high-fashion shops, a bevy of first-class restaurants, and a
handful of high-profile shows round out the amenities. And behind this
incredible miracle of mortar and light stand nearly 10,000 Team Members (our
term for "employees").

Research giant Towers Perrin's October 2008 survey of our property revealed
that our Team Members are wholly dedicated to the mission of The Venetian and
The Palazzo; they gave the highest scores Towers Perrin has ever seen. In every
category - working relationships, guest services, pay and benefits, etc. - our
Team Members scored well above average. These high ratings are a reflection of
our Team Member's dedication to excellent customer service.

Creating a positive, lasting impression on our guests is the primary goal of
our Team Members, and the results showed through with ratings from independent
auditors - AAA and Mobil (the two most recognized and respected in the
hospitality industry). Customer satisfaction across their entire range of
attribute ratings - from front desk to concierge to laundry, valet, and
departure - ranked in the top quintile for all hotels reviewed. These high
scores won us the coveted AAA Five Diamond and Mobil Four Star awards, a
remarkable testament to our customer service, given that our two properties
comprise over 7,000 suites - the hotels that traditionally win this level of
praise have 60-300 rooms.

From the first smile and handshake, to the final wave goodbye, our Team Members
create for each and every guest of The Venetian and The Palazzo an experience
that is truly unmatched. The Team Members' incredible zeal, expertise, and
honesty have created a work environment and a guest experience that is
unrivaled. And we have the numbers to prove it. The only way we could have
created the world's largest five-diamond result is through the world's best
customer service.

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://palazzolasvegas.com/ http://www.venetian.com/

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated customer service organization:

Kirsten Dimond ,Vice President, Hotel Operations

Kirsten is responsible for overseeing the overall operations of the Hotel Division at The Venetian.
Kirsten started her career with The Savoy Hotel in London as a Hotel Apprentice and she later worked
with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Group where she assisted them in achieving the Malcolm Baldridge
National Quality Award. Kirsten joined our company as Hotel Operations Director in April of 2003. She
attended the College for Hotel & Catering in Sylt Germany where she received her Hotelier Degree.
She is fluent in German. Kirsten's hometown is Sylt, Germany. During her spare time she enjoys
reading, traveling and golfing.