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HOTELS People Issue: Virgin’s goddess of HR

Clio Knowles is more affectionately known around Virgin Hotels as The People Goddess. “I actually own the Twitter account, but I haven’t done anything with it yet,” kids Virgin’s first vice president of people, who joined after serving as vice president of human resources for Kerzner International.

Yes, since everything is new at Virgin Hotels and its founder Sir Richard Branson prefers running people-centric companies a bit left of center, Knowles has taken the opportunity to run with her freedom and is trying to change the view of hospitality as more of a profession, especially in the United States.

To wit, Knowles created a “you’ve stolen our hearts” recruitment card for staff to pass along to potential hires, especially when they experience exceptional service or just a person with a great spirit. She requires job candidates to complete a “Make Love Steal Hearts” quiz to identify the bright, energetic and fearless. She held a recruitment fair at Chicago’s City Winery where candidates waited for their turn on a “speed date” interview while listening to a DJ spinning tunes and sipping on hot cider from the bar. 

She also created a Cultural Map that states what the hotel brand believes in, its purpose, its promise to team members, core values, its culture and how to speak to guests and each other. It concludes with five tips to “make love” (be generous with your time and attention) and “steal hearts” (discover the cues and clues guests leave for us and act upon them). Even the employee lounge at the Chicago hotel is covered with heart decals courtesy “the Goddess.”

"Being told that the internal marketing is just as important here is phenomenal." --Cleo Knowles
“Being told that the internal marketing is just as important here is phenomenal.” –Cleo Knowles

Knowles is doing everything she can so her department is not seen as the barrier to getting work done. “Of course, we have the policies, procedures and forms, but getting to build the culture and having it truly be entrenched in everything we do, being told that the internal marketing is just as important here is phenomenal,” she says.

So, instead of having an employee handbook, Knowles created “The Book of Love” because, not surprisingly, her theme evolves around love. “I make the employees make hearts at me all the time. You can be playful within limits, of course, and make it more fun. It’s a tone of voice.”

In fact, the Virgin Hotel cultural philosophy was created collaboratively. Knowles says the executive team sat in a room for a couple of days and talked about what they’re passionate about and the brand’s belief statement came out of it. “We all really love what we’re doing here, and we’re having fun doing it,” she says. “So, it just made sense that would be part of our belief statement because if you don’t love it and you’re not having fun you shouldn’t be doing it.” Just as if Sir Richard said it himself.

Editor’s note: This profile is part of HOTELS first People Issue, which highlights a dozen up-and-coming hoteliers.

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