Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Larkin

Enda Larkin

Founder, Dobiquity Inc.

Enda Larkin has over 30 years' experience in hospitality and tourism, first in hotel management and since 1994 as an independent consultant and business mentor with HTC Consulting. Over the past fifteen years, he has led numerous consulting projects for public and private sector clients throughout Europe and the Middle East. Interventions have varied in scope from a strategic review of the Guesthouse Sector in Ireland to supporting the establishment of a National Hotel Training Institute in Sana'a Yemen. His particular areas of expertise include: supporting strategic planning and business development in hospitality SMEs, mentoring enterprises towards attaining business excellence (EFQM), guiding process management activities to deliver operational efficiencies, leadership coaching and development, designing and delivering management development programs, implementing best practice HR policies and procedures, and conducting product and service quality assessments Mr. Larkin holds an MBA from ESCP Paris, a BSc in Management from Trinity College Dublin and a Higher Diploma in Hotel Management from the Dublin College of Catering. He is also a prolific author with the following titles in print: Ready to Lead? (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2007), How to Run a Great Hotel (How to Books 2009), Quick Win Leadership (Oak Tree Press 2010), Short Stories and Tall Tales for Managers (Oak Tree Press 2011) and The Essential Manager (CAI, 2013). In 2015 Mr. Larkin established Dobiquity, a revolutionary software service that is changing the way the global hospitality industry works. Via a user-friendly management portal, Dobiquity offers access to a growing portfolio of customisable apps that enable hospitality SMEs to save time and money, work smarter and make better decisions. Dobiquity provides an easy, affordable and secure way for hospitality managers to improve business performance by digitising important operational tasks. Mr. Larkin was born in Dublin, Ireland and currently lives in Geneva Switzerland.

Please visit http://www.dobiquity.com for more information.

Mr. Larkin can be contacted at 353-0-87-242-7917 or endalarkin@dobiquity.com

Coming up in March 2019...

Human Resources: An Era of Transition

Traditionally, the human resource department administers five key areas within a hotel operation - compliance, compensation and benefits, organizational dynamics, selection and retention, and training and development. However, HR professionals are also presently involved in culture-building activities, as well as implementing new employee on-boarding practices and engagement initiatives. As a result, HR professionals have been elevated to senior leadership status, creating value and profit within their organization. Still, they continue to face some intractable issues, including a shrinking talent pool and the need to recruit top-notch employees who are empowered to provide outstanding customer service. In order to attract top-tier talent, one option is to take advantage of recruitment opportunities offered through colleges and universities, especially if they have a hospitality major. This pool of prospective employees is likely to be better educated and more enthusiastic than walk-in hires. Also, once hired, there could be additional training and development opportunities that stem from an association with a college or university. Continuing education courses, business conferences, seminars and online instruction - all can be a valuable source of employee development opportunities. In addition to meeting recruitment demands in the present, HR professionals must also be forward-thinking, anticipating the skills that will be needed in the future to meet guest expectations. One such skill that is becoming increasingly valued is “resilience”, the ability to “go with the flow” and not become overwhelmed by the disruptive influences  of change and reinvention. In an era of transition—new technologies, expanding markets, consolidation of brands and businesses, and modifications in people's values and lifestyles - the capacity to remain flexible, nimble and resilient is a valuable skill to possess. The March Hotel Business Review will examine some of the strategies that HR professionals are employing to ensure that their hotel operations continue to thrive.

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