Learning Curve

By Lisa Bertagnoli -- Hotels, 5/6/2008

Almost three years ago, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts started from Square One with its training program. Out went four-hour training classes; in came half-hour training segments conducted either pre-shift or on the clock. Hands-on experience replaced the “talking at” learning environment of the classroom.

“We literally looked at every single department in our full-service hotels and identified the service skills necessary to deliver service at those levels,” says Christy Sinnott, vice president of learning and development at the Chicago-based company.

As a result, both guest and employee satisfaction scores have increased, Sinnott reports. Even more important, Hyatt has recouped the US$4 million investment in the revamped training program. Investing in training “has allowed us to develop consistency in our brand,” Sinnott says.

If the business axiom “you have to spend money to make money” is ever true, it’s in the realm of training and development. Even in a soft economy, hoteliers report that money spent on improving — and, more importantly, modernizing — training pays off in lower turnover, higher guest satisfaction scores and higher employee satisfaction scores.

Why, Not Just What

Employees learn more quickly, and more thoroughly, if they understand why they’re learning a particular task. That is the underlying training philosophy at San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre Hotels, which operates 40 boutique hotels. “How do you give (employees) a sense of meaning, calling and inspiration…how do you move beyond a series of tasks to the purpose and meaning of how it affects a customer?” says Chip Conley, Joie de Vivre’s chief executive officer.

Conley describes the company’s approach to training as a combination of skill training and lifestyle enhancement. For instance, Joie de Vivre university classes offer “fun” instruction such as yoga and how to make the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. “We’re trying to figure out ways to create a better life for employees,” Conley says. Along similar lines, service employees, not just managers, are invited to retreats, where they’re asked to share opinions on the strategy and direction of the company.

As a result, the company enjoys a 25% annual turnover rate. Scores are high on the twice-yearly employee satisfaction surveys, and the company is regarded as one of the best places to work in the Bay Area, Conley adds.

Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels also stresses the “why” in training, says Sindy Tsui, general manager of human resources. The company’s training methods put skill training in the context of the individual employee’s career trajectory, she says. One example is “on boarding,” or checks that make sure new employees are up to speed (or “on board”) and that any promises made to them during the interview process have been met.

This attention to detail helps attract and retain “Generation Y” employees, Tsui says. “This is an important factor for the coming generation of talent,” she says.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Group has taken the “why” a step further with its “CSR Champion Training,” designed to transmit the company’s corporate social responsibility goals to the hotel level. So far this year, the company has trained 75 CSR “champions,” who will return to their home hotels to spread the word.

Layering such programs on top of basic training has resulted in low turnover rate, says Tan Eng Leong, group director of human resources for Shangri-La. He adds that 65% of vacancies are filled by in-house transfers. “That’s a significantly high percentage,” Tan says.

Training by the Book

Mission statements and philosophies are also important for the “what’s in it for me” generation. With that thought in mind, Red Lion Hotels published Little Red Book, a training manual that outlines the company’s mission statement and describes expected behaviors for its 3,500 employees. A companion manual, Leadership by the Book, outlines expected behaviors for managers.

“It’s important for us to help employees understand the significance in their role,” says Krisann Hatch, vice president of human relations for the Spokane, Wash.-based company, which operates 48 hotels. “It’s a shift in training mentality, from us telling employees what to do to more of a learning environment.”

Part of the new learning environment involves looking at Red Lion employees as “brand ambassadors.” The chain, in fact, has internalized its external marketing message, adjusting its slogan “Stay Comfortable,” to “I Stay Comfortable,” which stresses to employees that they’re there to ensure guests’ comfort.

Focusing employees on the whys of learning has resulted in an 18% drop in turnover level, to 54%company wide. Additionally, 80% of employees say they’re satisfied with their work environment.

Hatch hopes that future training, which will focus on “back to basics,” will succeed in raising the Secure Employee rating — a measurement of employees who’ve been with the company three years or more. “That’s not as high as we’d like it to be,” Hatch says.

That Personal Touch

While Red Lion offers online training to managers, line employees continue to receive person-to-person instruction. “That’s what our business is all about—direct interaction,” Hatch says. Other hotel companies agree that while online training is convenient, and useful as a reinforcement tool, the best training takes place on a personal level.

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants uses a variety of training methods, from on-site to off-site to Webinars, depending on the materials taught, according to Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer. Simple information sharing is most efficiently taught online, while training that involves culture or behaviors is best taught in person.

For example, when Kimpton Hotels opened its Hotel Palomar in Washington, D.C., in 2006, members of the Washington Ballet visited the hotel to coach front-line staffers and bell personnel in moving gracefully. “The story at Palomar is ‘art in motion,’” explains Leondakis. “We wanted our staff to embody this story right down to the way they moved — with confident, graceful gestures and ease — whether they were hailing a cab, or opening a door for a guest, or greeting a guest warmly for the first time,” she explains.

As a result of this and other thorough, innovative training techniques, the company’s turnover is significantly lower than the industry average, Leondakis adds.

And it’s created an intangible, yet crucial benefit: A good feeling among staff. The ballet event “was really memorable,” Leondakis says. “They still talk about the fun of it to this day.”

Training Hits and Misses

Training no longer means sitting in a classroom for hours on end, looking at slide presentations. Contemporary, effective training programs stress the “why” behind skills, and also take individual employee’s career paths into consideration. Here are examples of techniques that work, and those that don’t.

Hits

Short, digestible training modules offered on the job or in pre-shift meetings. Hyatt Hotels, for instance, has cut its two-hour training classes into four half-hour segments.

Career-minded training. Dubai-based Jumeirah’s Aspiro program offers new employes, managers and executives fast-track development through personal coaching and placements to worldwide properties.

Hotel-sponsored “universities.” Shangri-La Group’s Shangri-La Academy, located near Beijing, offers five-week to three-month training programs in a facility outfitte with a kitchen, library, computer lab and mock hotel room. Since it opened in 2005, more than 2,000 employees have trained at the Academy.

Misses

Task-oriented training that neglects to put the learned skill in its context.

Training that lacks the human aspect of the service equation. “Customers don’t have a relationship with the elevator,” notes Chip Conley, ceo of Joie de Vivre Hotels, San Francisco.

Programs that focus on customer satisfaction and ignore employee satisfaction.