Everyone Wants Five Stars: Nobody Wants to Train for It

A Hard Truth About Guest Service Standards in Hospitality

The Delusion of Luxury

Everyone in hospitality loves to say it.

“We want to be like Wynn.”
“We’re aiming for Forbes Five-Star standards.”
“We want our service to feel like The Ritz.”

These are common phrases in pre-shifts and executive meetings. Operators dream of building service cultures that rival the icons: Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Aman Resorts. They borrow their language: anticipatory service, luxury polish, guest obsession. But they rarely borrow their systems.

Because here’s the truth: most businesses want the reputation of excellence, but very few want to do the work it takes to get there.

Behind the Curtain: Where It Falls Apart

What’s hiding behind most of these bold service claims? A shallow playbook.

There’s no formal onboarding, no structured role-plays, no long-term development path. Maybe a laminated SOP. Maybe a shadow shift with a senior server who’s winging it. That’s not training. That’s delegation disguised as development.

According to Training Magazine’s 2024 Industry Report, the average hospitality company invests just $470 per employee per year on training. Compare that to Wynn Las Vegas, which reportedly spends $2,000+ annually per team member, and it’s easy to see why some properties consistently operate on a different level.

And here’s the real kicker: most companies won’t even consider long-term development because they’re too focused on labor percentage. They’ll cut training to hit a weekly labor target, then wonder why service standards never stick. It’s short-term math at the cost of long-term excellence. But you can’t budget your way to greatness if your team never learns how to deliver it.

And while they’re cutting training, they’re spending thousands on guest service surveys, secret shoppers, and scorecards—hoping the feedback justifies their brand claims. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most companies are not honest about the results. They spin average feedback into success stories and dismiss poor reviews as “one-offs.” The data’s there. They just don’t want to face it.

Labor Over Legacy: The Cost of Protecting the Wrong Number

You’ll guard your labor percentage to the decimal.
But you won’t invest in the people delivering your brand promise?
That’s not strategy. That’s sabotage.

What Five-Star Training Really Looks Like

Delivering Forbes Five-Star service doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through systematic, intentional training that mirrors the brands we all admire.

At The Ritz-Carlton, every new employee goes through a 21-day onboarding program that includes cultural immersion, live simulation, and standards education. Lineups happen daily. Team members are expected to memorize service pillars and apply them in live scenarios before they ever serve a guest.

Four Seasons defines its service standards down to the smallest detail: how to greet, what posture to hold, what words to use, and how to resolve guest issues. These standards are taught, rehearsed, and reinforced constantly.

At Mandarin Oriental, service recovery is not just encouraged, it’s trained as a core leadership skill. Team members are empowered to solve problems, not just apologize for them. Why? Because 86% of customers say they would return to a business if their complaint is handled well, according to PwC’s Future of Customer Experience Report.

Simulate. Rehearse. Coach.

One of the most misunderstood elements of luxury service is how it’s practiced.

Five-star brands rehearse everything. They simulate check-in conversations. They role-play difficult guests. They analyze tone, posture, and word choice. They watch the film. They debrief as teams. They build muscle memory, just like an athlete or performer would.

Aman Resorts, for example, uses cultural rituals and scenario-based coaching to reinforce standards. They don’t rely on scripts. They rely on intentional behaviors that are nurtured over time.

Most restaurants skip this step entirely. No role-plays. No simulations. No practice. Just a hope that “Sarah trains well.” And then they wonder why service is inconsistent when the dining room is full.

Managers Must Be Coaches

One of the biggest differences between average and elite properties is how managers behave. At five-star properties, managers don’t hide in offices or sit behind laptops. They are floor generals, culture protectors, and real-time coaches.

They model the service. They inspect the details. They give in-the-moment feedback and praise the moments that matter. They are in the business, not around the business.

Aman Tokyo’s GMs are known to participate in lineup rituals and service rehearsals themselves. Because at that level, culture is not just a talking point. It’s a behavior.

You Can’t Cut Your Way to Five Stars

Training isn’t a luxury. It’s the price of admission.
If your team is underdeveloped, it’s not a labor issue.
It’s a leadership decision.

Training Is Not a Phase. It’s the Culture.

A lot of businesses treat training as a temporary event. Something you do when someone is hired. Something you revisit when things go wrong. Something you outsource to HR or assign to “the trainer.”

But real hospitality brands don’t think that way.

Training is part of the operating system. It happens before every shift, after service, during promotions, at quarterly check-ins, and after every guest issue. It lives in the DNA of the business. It’s not one and done. It’s forever.

At Wynn, this philosophy is baked into the language. Their training isn’t referred to as orientation. It’s referred to as service DNA. Because it’s not something you learn once. It’s something you become.

The Hard Truth: You Can’t Fake Five-Star

You can’t cheat your way to luxury.
You can’t slap “elevated service” on a menu and expect results.
You can’t expect your team to deliver Ritz-level polish after a 2-day shadow shift and a PowerPoint.

Real five-star service is a full-time commitment.
It requires time, money, effort, and leadership buy-in.
It requires uncomfortable conversations, regular coaching, and non-negotiable standards.

And most importantly? It requires discipline.
The discipline to train every day.
The discipline to coach your managers to lead the standard.
The discipline to correct what’s not working, even when you’re short-staffed, in the weeds, or busy chasing revenue.

Ask Yourself Honestly

Do we have clearly defined behaviors for every guest touchpoint?
Are we actively training service recovery, anticipation, and personalization?
Do our managers coach daily or only when something breaks?
Are we investing in training like we invest in food cost or marketing?
Are we developing people, or just filling positions?
Are we cutting training time to protect labor percentage, then expecting Ritz-level service from unprepared staff?
Are we spending more on surveys than on training, and still not facing the truth when feedback is bad?

Stop Choosing Labor Targets Over Long-Term Excellence

Five-star service demands five-star preparation.
If training gets cut every time, you’re over hours,
then mediocrity is your real business model.

Final Word from The F&B Playbook

We’ve worked with brands chasing five-star excellence.
Some made it. Most didn’t.
Not because they weren’t capable, but because they weren’t willing to train at the level, they were expecting service to perform.

That’s the disconnect.
And that’s where The F&B Playbook steps in.

We’re not here to give you fluff. We’re here to help you build training that lasts coaching systems, scenario drills, standards tracking, and leadership tools designed for operators who are actually ready to raise the bar.

Because here’s the truth.
You can’t protect labor percentage and ignore development, then act surprised when mediocrity shows up at the table.

Five-star service isn’t just a rating.
It’s a lifestyle.
It’s a commitment.
And it starts with training like it matters.

Want the tools to back up your ambition?
Explore training modules, scorecards, workshops, and team tools that drive real results.
Visit https://www.fandbplaybook.com/guest-experience-playbook-course-1 and take the first step toward building service that actually lives up to the hype.