HotelsMag December 2016 | Page 26

SPECIAL REPORT

Hotels ’ and Commune Hotels & Resorts ’ five boutique brands early this year .

That culture is being communicated to recruiters , but not left there . “ We have a philosophy that everyone is a recruiter , so when you see someone who has a service attitude , we can train them on how to check people in or clean rooms or feed guests , but we can ’ t train personality ,” Leondakis says . “ We do hire a lot of people outside of hospitality . We like being able to take people who are great human beings and train them how to do the job .”

“ When you are trying to develop your students to

take ownership ,

a lot of them say , in fact , I don ’ t need a boss . I can be my own boss .”

— NICOLAS GRAF , CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER , LES ROCHES

BEYOND SOFT SKILLS Many hotel brands are emphasizing a sense of place and a relationship to the community to differentiate from the competition . But personal connections between hotel employees and hotel guests are still key .

“ Everything is standardized to a point where ( guests ) might think , OK , I ’ m in Chicago but I can be in Miami , I can be somewhere else , so what is going to make it different is actually the people ,” says Sonia Tatar , CEO of Les Roches Worldwide and its school of hotel management in Bluche , Switzerland . “ That ’ s when we talk about the heart of the business .” The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and has partner schools in the U . S ., Spain , Jordan and China .

“ The focus is now shifting toward the soft skills , the savoir-être , that allows ( graduates ) to adapt to new jobs ,” adds Fabien Fresnel , chief academic officer at the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland . Technology , social media and hotels ’ complex ownership and management profile have created a new array of sophisticated jobs within hotel operations . Many also require increasingly sophisticated intangibles such as empathy and real-time problem-solving skills , he says . To teach those within a four-year window , Lausanne has added flexible electives .

“ You still need to train for skills ,” points out Nicolas Graf , Les Roches ’ chief academic officer . “ But what we think makes a difference is the mindset .” Trustworthy associates have good judgment , Graf says . “ What we are trying to do is to develop that mindset .”

“ We also talk about ‘ intrapreneurship ,’” Tatar says . “ Some might go out and build a new business , create a new concept , business model , whatever , that is going to revolutionize the hotel industry . But others go within hotels themselves and … they can bring in new business models . It ’ s about renewal or innovation internally as well .”

CREATING OPTIONS Students who are quicker to adapt also have more options – and they are taking them . At Les Roches , a third of alumni have started their own businesses . “ When you are trying to develop your students to take ownership , a lot of them say , in fact , I don ’ t need a boss . I can be my own boss ,” Graf says . Fifty percent of Lausanne graduates head into hospitality-related jobs , Fresnel says . The other half works on , for instance , real estate transactions or analysis , or outside the business . Lausanne has nine certified schools around the world .

Some step off the 10- to 15-year climb that it takes up the operational ladder to become a GM . “ They are going into finance because they want to see a career path and an objective , not 10 positions in a dozen hotels ,” Fresnel says . Students are less patient and have a shorter attention span . “ It doesn ’ t mean they are stupid , it means they are changing . They can adapt to a situation rapidly .”

One trade-off : a much more natural and flexible relationship with new technology ,

“ We do hire a lot of people outside of hospitality .

We like being able to take people who are great human beings and train them how to do the job .”

— NIKI LEONDAKIS , CEO OF HOTELS AND RESORTS , TWO ROADS HOSPITALITY

22 hotelsmag . com December 2016