SPECIAL REPORT
NEW PRIORITIES If the pandemic has had one silver lining , it ’ s the ability to reset , not only job functions , but what positions now make sense . “ Some hotels are operating with great foresight ,” King observes . “ They say when we reopen or ramp up , this is a great opportunity to reset or redo ; people will be more malleable , more open , particularly if they have been in a position for a long time .”
Ideally some training would come along with the new job description , but tight budgets may not accommodate that .
“ It ’ s an opportunity to run away from what we ’ ve always done in the past and rethink what we want to do ,” Levie agrees . CitizenM hotels have been at the forefront of leveraging technology to keep operations efficient , but the pandemic has pushed that further .
“ During COVID , we saw there was a huge request from guests to go touchless . So we launched an app that allows guests to make reservations , check in and open the guestroom door with their phones . Technology provides for that , but it doesn ’ t take away the fact that you have to have someone to welcome them and provide some service ,” Levie says .
It ’ s no surprise that many hotels have shifted their training priorities , turning the emphasis toward safety and cross-training .
EMPLOYERS MUST OFFER “ ASSURANCE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO KEEP A PERSON EMPLOYED AT A REASONABLE RATE AND FOR ENOUGH HOURS TO MAKE A LIVING .
JUDY KING , QUALITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES
DON ’ T CUT TRAINING Well before the pandemic , luxury Dorchester Collection launched a growth and development initiative that involved teaching associates different jobs .
“ We ’ re a small company , so we have to be creative to keep people engaged and growing ,” says Eugenio Pirri , chief people and culture executive for the nine-hotel , London-based group . Today , he says more than 60 % of the staff is trained to handle three or more positions , which helped the group get through the dark days of 2020 .
“ We have 40 people on a consistent basis who can go help at other hotels ,” Pirri says . During 2020 , staff from the company ’ s closed or low-occupancy properties were temporarily assigned to busier hotels to fill in as needed , often doing jobs other than their normal assignments .
COVID hasn ’ t stopped Dorchester ’ s training program , either . “ During the pandemic , a lot of companies have cut training . Every week our employees have had some kind of training ,” Pirri says . And when idled hotels reopened , the company mandated all employees undergo a refresher course . “ We did it to remind people that even though we ’ ve been out of the business , don ’ t forget who we are , and we explained how we were reopening . You couldn ’ t return to work without doing it ,” he adds .
Dorchester heavily emphasized empathy as part of associates ’ return-towork training . “ We wanted to get them to understand that what they are going through is what guests are going through ,” Pirri says . “ People who are going to travel are the people who want to travel , who have decided they want to stay in a hotel , so it ’ s really important to understand why they are returning and for employees to make sure they feel comfortable in their situation and how they can create the right environment ,” he adds .
WE ’ RE A SMALL COMPANY , SO WE HAVE TO BE CREATIVE TO KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED AND GROWING .
EUGENIO PIRRI , DORCHESTER COLLECTION
20 hotelsmag . com January / February 2021