SPECIAL REPORT
ROLE-PLAYING CAN ALSO BE EFFECTIVE WHEN SMALL GROUPS OF TRAINEES ARE PAIRED TOGETHER AND OFFER EACH OTHER CRITIQUES AND FEEDBACK , SAYS GUSTAVO GELOVER , DIRECTOR OF F & B AT B OCEAN FORT LAUDERDALE IN FLORIDA : “ TRAINING LIKE THIS HAS HELPED EMPLOYEES FEEL VALUED , LIKE THE COMPANY HAD AN INVESTMENT IN THEM .”
— GUSTAVO GELOVER , F & B DIRECTOR , B OCEAN FORT LAUDERDALE
the four-property company . It was done as part of an initiative called the Salt School , a 10-week , 25-hour intensive introduction to all facets of the hospitality industry that launched with the debut of this property .
“ The staffers would really have each other ’ s back , without a level of competition ,” Bowd notes . “ They were very supportive of one another and there was almost a motherly or fatherly relationship that really benefited both parties .”
Before staffers can shadow one another , they need to know what the property is about . “ You have to train people on the unique story of your hotel , so they understand what is different or special about this property ,” Bowd adds .
The Asbury is designed to be inviting to the local community ; residents can bring their pets into the lobby , which also offers workspaces . The staff has been trained to be welcoming to those who are just hanging out there , even if they aren ’ t guests , Bowd says . All 160 employees also have visited local shops and attractions so that they could get a feel for the neighborhood and offer recommendations to guests . The result : a 90 % employee retention rate .
Shadowing can start from day one . Employees who are trained at Concord Hospitality ’ s 95 properties receive the name of a “ buddy ” or mentor that they will shadow when they receive a job offer letter , says Debra Punke , senior vice president of human capital . Shadowing comprises 80 % of their two-week training .
“ If you don ’ t use something immediately , you lose it ,” Punke says . “ With shadowing , you can ask questions as you are learning the job and it will stick with you . What doesn ’ t work is sitting by yourself and watching a video with no follow-up .”
GETTING IN CHARACTER
One of the most effective forms of training employees is role-playing , allowing them to play the role of a guest while working with staff who are training them . Then , at other times , they will play the part of an employee and the trainer will pretend to be a guest . While this method has been around for many years , it still holds up these days . “ I tell new employees to experience the hotel as if you were a guest ; that way you know and understand how the guest is feeling and you can learn the skills that you need for the job ,” says Kara Lundgren , general manager of the 111-room Circ Hotel opening in Hollywood , Florida , in March . Also effective : using all five senses during the role-play , Lundgren adds . For instance , if trainees smell garbage in a wastepaper basket or overpowering odors from the kitchen , how would that affect them if they were guests ? If the lobby floor feels sticky or wet , how would that make them feel about staying at the property ?
This five-senses role-playing becomes even more effective and encompassing , Lundgren says , when it is combined with cross-training . A kitchen server in-training can be brought to a guest room to roleplay as a traveler examining the condition of the room . A housekeeper can pretend to be dining at the hotel ’ s restaurant and try food in the kitchen to see if it is too salty .
Role-playing can also be effective when small groups of trainees are paired together and offer each other critiques and feedback . Gustavo Gelover , director of F & B for the 490-room B Ocean Fort Lauderdale in Florida , created a training program geared toward new college graduates that utilized this method years ago when he worked at Mandarin Oriental Hotels .
“ Training like this has helped employees feel valued , like the company had an investment in them ,” he says . “ This lowered turnover by about 20 %.” He adds , “ I would always recommend this type of training ; it works well in just about any kind of property and in any kind of location .”
26 hotelsmag . com March 2018