How have you attracted and retained your associates during uncertain times ?
Attracting new associates has been very challenging . We have found ourselves competing against different industries outside of hospitality that is now offering historically high wages . In addition to revamping our compensation package , we focus on the concept of a career path in hospitality and the ability to transfer these skills to a global industry . We find that when we engage with potential associates in this manner , we can easily identify candidates that are focused on a long-term career vs a short-term paycheck which ultimately makes a better , more engaged member of the team .
We have also drastically increased our engagement with current associates . As an example , while our traditional “ Housekeeping Week ” remains in place , we now have expanded the concept to be a propertywide appreciation week with Food Trucks , Ice Cream Socials , delivering snacks / drinks to departments , raffles , etc . We have added a few categories to the traditional “ employee of the month ” recognition as well and have fun contests that related to guest feedback , and our core values .
How do you engage with the " always connected " traveler ?
It is not uncommon in our industry to have extensive communication with a guest without ever having an actual conversation until they arrive in person at our door . Although we have certainly adapted to communicate with our guests in the manner in which they are most comfortable , ie text , email , website , etc ., we certainly prefer to engage with our guests over the phone or in-person as it is still the best way to make a connection at a luxury level . Encouraging our guests to follow our social media channels is a great way to stay connected to them with relevant content supporting their lifestyle .
ILHA 27