When you take the time to implement a training programme for your boutique hotel staff, you are not only investing in the development of their skills, you also expect to see a valuable return on investment (ROI) for your business.
Across every industry, companies that dedicate more time to their staff’s skill training and development have seen:
- Better profitability
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Greater employee retention rates
So why should a hotel be any different? In fact, because hotels are 100% customer-oriented, your hotel staff’s ability to ensure a memorable stay will bring you the additional benefit of positive guest reviews, which is free advertising for your business.
How can a hotel training and development programme give you the highest ROI?
Hotels require a diverse range of departments to run seamlessly, including front desk staff, valet service, dining service and housekeeping. What every department has in common, whether they are front-of-house or back-of-house, is that they are skills-based jobs that require specialised training. For instance, valet service is more than just parking and retrieving cars. Valet teams must be trained to communicate with one another and coordinate vehicle retrieval to ensure that guests are never forced to stand and wait around for an excessive amount of time.
They must then be trained in proper etiquette when addressing guests. Gestures such as polite conversation, good posture, and attention to personal grooming cannot be learned over the course of a day. They require practice and coaching from a trainer who has experience in the hotel service industry.
Communication, coordination, and guest-interaction skills are required throughout your hotel; guests will notice only how enjoyable their time is at your establishment. Completely satisfied customers will likely become repeat customers, and repeat business is one of the best indicators of a strong ROI.
What should you look for in a hotel training programme before you invest?
Experienced Trainers
A hotel training programme should be designed and conducted by coaches who have seen day-to-day operations over the course of several years. They will have perfected the specific skills required for their given department; it is also more likely that they have fulfilled a supervisory role where additional team-training and coordination skills were developed.
Course Variety
Your hotel staff must be eager to learn as much as possible about their job so that they can be successful at their given tasks, feel valued as employees, and have the opportunity to reach promotion in the future. Motivated employees will always take the opportunity to increase their skill-set; if they know that your hotel will invest in more diversified training, they will remain loyal to your company, and you will see valuable ROI in the form of employee retention.
Customisation
Boutique hotels all strive to be unique by offering a variety of different services and amenities. Your training programme must be designed to fit your specific needs. For example, bed and breakfast staff may share more responsibilities across several departments, like laundry service and housekeeping; whereas a small luxury hotel might require two distinct laundry and housekeeping teams trained to handle a higher volume of laundry and room-cleaning tasks. Be sure to make your training programme reflect the style of your operation.
Follow-up training
Skill development will always benefit from staff check-ups and refresher courses, so that staff motivation and consistent services are maintained. Not only does consistent service across every department enhance the overall guest experience, but a guest repeatedly experiencing great service every time they return to your hotel makes all of your training investment worthwhile.
Polo & Tweed’s Industry-Leading Training Programme
Our hotel training programme delivers these features, we are ready to help you establish the most beneficial training courses for your staff to ensure that your investment in future profits pays off!
If you would like to know more about our hotel training programmes – why not get in touch with us here. We’d love to discuss your individual needs and how we can help you improve. Your hotel customer service training programme is in good hands with Polo & Tweed.