Ms. Renton

Human Resources, Recruitment & Training

Training and Retaining the Right Staff

By Jane Renton, General Manager, Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel

"Never relinquish clothing to a hotel valet without first specifically telling him that you want it back." Wits and wags throughout the ages have made much fun at the expense of hotels, usually for their failings. Oscar Wilde, while lying in a Parisian hotel, famously said, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." He died before the d'ecor was changed, or so the story goes.

But, it is rare to find a joke about the failure of training. In suggesting that a hotel valet might need reminding to bring her clothes back, the American writer Fran Lebowitz may have made the only one about a subject that can be, after all, dreadfully dry. Or is it? Beyond someone simply looking for a bed for the night, the number one desire of most hotel guests, I believe, is to feel good. That may mean different things for different people but, overwhelmingly, it means, first and foremost, to be treated well, not by things but by people. A friendly welcome, a listening ear, a quick response, a bit of help when needed, a charming waiter: in short, customer service. To be surrounded by the objects of luxury or high tech functionality, to be immersed in refinement and beauty are lovely; but, in the long run, lasting memories and loyal customers are made by the quality of personal interactions in the hotel, not of bath amenities or high speed internet access.

Increasingly, there are pitfalls to those interactions. A globalized and intensely competitive hospitality industry, especially in major cities like mine, London, present serious challenges to finding good, qualified staff and keeping them. The same globalization - reflected in clientele from all over the world traveling for all sorts of reasons - presents the challenge of teaching and using cultural sensitivity to ensure guest satisfaction. So, perhaps the subject of training and retaining staff is not so cut and dried after all.

We are an industry all too often noted for its revolving door staffing: front line staff are quickly hired and quick to go; management views moving from position to position, company to company, as necessary for career advancement. But what explains that too rare hotel where everyone stays? Almost without exception, its staff feels strong ownership in the property; even when pay scales may be less than elsewhere, there is a sense that "this is a rewarding place to work, a place where I am learning and advancing, where I am respected and I feel confident and competent. And this, of course, is the result of good training.

At the outset I should note that, as the General Manager of a boutique hotel, Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel (by London standards), I think smaller properties often have advantages when it comes to motivating and retaining staff. By necessity there are more opportunities for staff to learn new skills and move from department to department, and thus advance a career. Individual strengths, aptitudes and accomplishments are more easily observed and recognized by senior management. Probably a greater percentage of staff have reason to interact with guests and therefore learn valuable customer service skills. The disadvantage, of course, is that in this "multi-tasking" integrated environment that promotes rapid staff development for those interested in advancing, there is little room at the top.

It would appear to me that there are several essential components to training and retaining staff, whether the hotel is large or small. The first, and perhaps most important in achieving good training and retention results, is recruitment. Hire the right people to begin with and the job is half done. Whatever method or combination of methods are used - resumes, personal interviews, sophisticated psychological testing, software systems that match personal skills and aptitude to job categories - there is no substitute for the investment of time and money in recruitment.

The object is to find people who will stay with the company - replacing staff is not only bad for business but expensive - and, it has been my experience that in the recruitment process there often are factors more important than what's on the resume or job skills. Because the hardest qualities to teach later are attitude, commitment and passion, it may be that these are the most important attributes to try to identify in the recruitment phase. This is particularly true because, for the majority of staff at any hotel, the job skills themselves - from maintenance of guestrooms to dining service to front desk software programs - let's be honest, should not be all that difficult to learn. Far more difficult to train is "how" those skills and tasks are performed.

Assuming that the right people are recruited and hired, what's the next step? The hospitality industry may not be the army but basic training is a must. The personality and character of every hotel, even within a large chain, is, and should be, different. Service expectations and requirements vary from company to company, hotel to hotel. Quality of service is not, and should not be, synonymous with room rates. So, to assume that someone is adequately trained because he or she came from another reputable company can be a mistake. They may have experience but they are not trained for your hotel.

Basic training provides all staff with the fundamental expectations of the property's management. It introduces the brand and what it represents, provides basic information about safety, fire and health, explains regulations and employment law as they pertain to staff, and, most important, begins the personal interaction between management and staff. Two full days of orientation upon arrival may be enough or too little depending on the size and scope of the property. Beyond the fundamentals, of course, training becomes more specialized and is provided in smaller groups and often within departments as needed. Depending on the department, external trainers brought into the hotel or sending staff to external training facilities or services may be the best approach.

Adding another level of complexity to introducing new staff to the hotel are the expectations of corporate management. With fewer and fewer independents on the scene, it can be a challenge to assimilate corporate service standards without losing individual character. In my experience, the most successful approach is to create as many opportunities as possible for cross exposure. Nothing teaches like on the job training and the best way to learn the ways of the corporate brand may be immersion in it at another property for a period of time.

One of the biggest challenges to training, in my opinion, is infusing the right level of spontaneity into customer service. If it is true that the quality of the client's interaction with staff is, when all things are considered, your key to building a loyal customer base, what is the most appealing quality of that interaction? A highly-scripted formality? A "slap on the back" informality? A hotel where "everybody knows your name?" This is something that every company and hotel has to decide individually but I venture to guess that what we all strive for is a genuineness in the dialogue. When staff greet guests in the hallway with a simple "Good morning," we want those guests to feel welcomed and appreciated, not to pass by with the sense that someone has been told to speak the appropriate words. When guests stop by to ask a question, they want to feel that the person behind the desk is taking the time to listen.

I think that the key to successful customer service is a level of spontaneity from staff that comes from a sense of confidence and competence. You can't teach the spontaneity but you can expect it from staff who feel rewarded, secure and respected in their job. To a large measure, this is a product of good training.

Finally, a thought about the world today. In recent months, world events have reminded us, more than ever, of the need for cultural sensitivity in human interactions. Instant communications and globalization have brought cultures, religions and social systems in immediate and almost constant contact with one another. Nowhere is this more true than the hospitality industry, particularly is such cosmopolitan cities as London, New York and elsewhere. In the typical London hotel you may have staff from dozens of nationalities and backgrounds interacting with one another and with guests from around the world. The quality of those interactions may depend on cultural sensitivity. The degree to which this is true, of course, depends on the location and nature of the hotel but it should be a strong part of any institutionalized training system to teach harmony and nurture good inter-personal relationships. While it would be unrealistic to expect all staff to know all the world's religious or cultural traditions, it is reasonable that staff understand that they are expected to respect and accept cultural and individual differences.

As Luigi Donzelli, restaurant manager at Claridge's Hotel, is reputed to have commented: "Kings are no trouble. It's the queens."

Jane Renton is GM at The Lowndes Hotel, London. She has experience in all areas of hospitality. A graduate of the Gwent College of Higher Education, she began at The Gateway Hotel & Conference Centre, Newport where she was deputy head housekeeper, accommodation services manager and Events and Banqueting Manager. At The Lowndes Hotel London she continues to pursue personalized service and creating a unique ‘home away from home’ for her guests. Jane Renton is a member of the British Hospitality Association, Hotel & Catering International Management Association, the London Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Renton can be contacted at 44-20-7823 1234 or jane.renton@jumeirah.com Extended Bio...

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