In addition, exceptions to the standards were
permitted if they made local sense. For example,
one standard stated that the coffee pot should be
left on the table at breakfast so that guests could
choose to refill their cups. This was perceived as a
lack of service in France, so it was amended there.
Standards were often written to allow local flexibility.
While the standards require an employee's
uniform to be immaculate, they do not state what it
should look like. In Bali, uniforms were completely
difierent from uniforms in Chicago. Managers underlined
the fact that standards set minimum expectations:
"If you can do something for a client
that goes beyond a standard," they told staff, "do
it." As a result, stories about a concierge taking a
client to the hospital and staying with that person
overnight were part of Four Seasons lore, contributing
to cultural artifacts.
To evaluate each property'