The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company's quest for service excellence was an on-going process. At a time of increased competition within the hospitality industry, as well as increased customer demand for value, it was even more essential for the Ritz-Carlton to continue to distinguish itself as a premier provider of luxury service. This meant that the Ritz-Carlton had to accelerate the rate in which it discovered and eliminated the root cause of all service issues.  The challenge facing Ritz-Carlton was to systematically discover and eliminate the root causes of service defects, thereby achieving Six Sigma quality and helping the organization realize its goal of 100% customer retention. Did the company have the processes in place to continue to provide the quality service that its guests have come to expect? Did its quality personnel have the training and knowledge base to identify potential sources and causes of defects and to eliminate them? Would the hotel chain manage to achieve its goal of Six Sigma service?