During the conference, the results of a study commissioned by the EU on training and training systems for tourism will be presented, as well as how these systems meet the needs of the industry. Scandic is the only hotel chain that has been invited to inspire companies to use interactive training to support people with special needs.
Stratford City Hotels, which is managed by Cycas Hospitality, was awarded top accolade of No1 Best Employer in Hospitality 2015 at the Caterer.com's Best Employers in Hospitality Awards 2015 scoring the highest for employment engagement.
The UK hospitality and tourism industry employs 4.49m people - approximately 10 per cent of the working population – according to a new report by Oxford Economics.
The inaugural IHG European Business School was held in association with the Oxford School of Hospitality Management, Oxford Brookes University, from 24th to 26th August 2015. Over 100 delegates, all employees of IHG selected on the basis of their performance and potential, gathered for a 'back to university' intensive learning experience.
Pacifica Hotels, the largest owner and operator of independent hotels along the California Coast, has signed an agreement with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) to provide its employees access to a variety of online learning resources through CourseLine®, AHLEI's eLearning platform. Through CourseLine®, Pacifica Hotels team members are able to access a variety of training programs, including Guest Service Gold®, Supervisory Skill Builders, START for Individual Positions, Eye on Awareness®, and 20 CyberCinema® videos in English and Spanish. Many of the training programs lead to professional certification. "AHLEI's online training programs are hospitality-specific and cover the fundamentals that are critical to our business," said Alie Gaffan, CHT, Pacifica Hotels' Director of Training and Development. "The online training courses complement Pacifica Hotels' existing programs and standards." Gaffan explained that Pacifica Hotels customizes and individualizes training plans to set team members up for success. She singled out AHLEI's Eye on Awareness® hotel security training as an ideal reinforcement to Pacifica's strong safety culture. "We provide access to the online training at each property, and the online portal serves as a great tool to monitor team member progress," she said. Initial feedback from employees has been positive. Gaffan noted that many Pacifica Hotels team members have earned professional certifications through AHLEI, and the online learning package provides several opportunities to prepare them for additional certifications. "We'll continue to provide a training path that assists our team in growing and developing the skills needed to earn these distinct designations." For more information about training and professional development resources from AHLEI, visit www.ahlei.org or call 1.800.349.0299 or +1.407.999.8100.
Against the backdrop of its pledge to uphold the best corporate practices, NH Hotel Group has updated its Code of Conduct with a view to increasing the scope of application of the principles and values that guide the Group's behaviour, while adapting the Code for recent legislative developments.
Switzerland has an unrivaled reputation as a center of excellence for hospitality education. But there is a lot more to the country that makes it an attractive place to study. This infographic, the seventh in Les Roches series, highlights ten great things about Switzerland – some you could probably guess, others may come as a surprise. Let us know what you think!
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has awarded the first Certified Guest Service Property awards to two properties in Vilnius, Lithuania—IDW Esperanza Resort and Verkiai Restaurant. Ed Kastli, AHLEI's vice president, international sales, presented the awards March 11 at IDW Esperanza Resort. (top photo: Kastli with Tomas Maknickas, general manager, IDW Esperanza Resort; bottom photo: Kastli with chef Diana Banuskeviciute and Linas Pucinskas, managing director, Verkiai Restaurant) The ceremony was attended by managers and staff from both properties, as well as the mayor of Vilnius and the acting director of the Lithuanian Hotel & Restaurant Association. To earn the Certified Guest Service Property designation, employees completed AHLEI's Guest Service Gold® training and earned the Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) designation. IDW Esperanza Resort has 14 employees certified with CGSP® while Verkiai Restaurant has 10 CGSP® employees. Linas Pucinskas, CHE, CGSP, managing director of Verkiai, was among the first people in Lithuania to take the Guest Service Gold® training and CSGP® certification exam when it was introduced in Vilnius in April 2013. He delivered the program to the staff at Verkiai, a luxury restaurant located on the ground floor of the Verkiai Palace in Vilnius. Pucinskas introduced the program to Tomas Maknickas, general manager of the IDW Esperanza Resort, a five-star eco-friendly boutique property that is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. "We decided that such a training and certification would be useful to both our employees and the resort," said Maknickas. "The employees enjoyed the online training and I'm sure it will contribute toward some truly remarkable Guest Service Gold® moments at our resort." He added, "It is an honor for us to earn the title of Certified Guest Service Property. This is yet another reflection of our organization's continued focus on excellence in meeting the needs of our guests." Pucinskas, who has conducted Guest Service Gold® training at several hotels in Lithuania, said that the program is effective, easy to implement, affordable, and well accepted by both employees and guests. "Within the hospitality industry in Europe, we are often discussing Western hospitality standards, which means the highest professionalism and best service provided to the guests. However, nobody was able to describe clearly exactly what that meant. AHLEI has offered a perfect product with seven elements and short-term training, followed by an exam and certification. Today, we can better understand and explain easily what these Western standards of hospitality and guest service professionalism are," he explained. For more information on Guest Service Gold® and becoming a Certified Guest Service Property, visit www.ahlei.org.
Stefan Bollhalder started his career in culinary arts; he was an Executive Chef for six years. In 1991, he made a career switch to become an F&B Director and eventually, this led him to become a successful GM. Having been the GM of 10 luxury hotels in various geographic locations, he is a highly experienced General Manager by any standard. His culinary art and F&B background gave him the self-discipline and the mentality for attention to details. In addition, one has the feeling that he is hard working and very focused...
Young Hoteliers Summit was excited to welcome delegates, distinguished partners and guests back to the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne campus for Day 2. The morning commenced with an interactive panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Demian Hodari (Assistant Professor, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne), between the millennial attendees and three teams of industry representatives Ms. Rachel Begbie (Senior Director of Human Resources at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts), Mr. Pierre Botteron (Vice President Human Resources, Europe, FRHI), Mr. Olivier Bracard (Chief Executive Officer, HOSCO), Ms. Laura Natal (Associate Director of Staffing for EMEA, Starwood Hotels & Resorts), Mr. Michael Levie (Chief Operating Officer, citizenM), and Mr. Sean Wheeler (Area Director of Human Resources - UK, Dorchester Collection).
The third pillar of the Young Hoteliers Summit, the Hotel Employer Ranking, aims to identify the most desirable employers in the hotel industry as judged by young hoteliers worldwide. It gives insights into the views and priorities of the future generation and recognizes the companies that are at the forefront of employment practices.
The 6th annual Young Hoteliers Summit 2015 is delighted to announce its partnerships with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, FRHI Hotels & Resorts, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts as the Royal Sponsors, as well as with ITB Berlin as the Exclusive Industry Partner.
According to Deloitte's 2014 luxury goods report, the world's top 75 luxury brands accounted for US$171.8 billion of aggregate net sales in 2012 and a compound annual growth rate of 14.3 percent (2010–2012). This strong performance is partly owed to enhanced customer service: buying a luxury bag, for instance, is now considered an experience and who better to accommodate customers and their expectations than trained hospitality graduates?
Accor, the world's leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, today announces that it is a signatory of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs). This program, an initiative of UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact, defines seven principles that foster the empowerment of women in the workplace, the marketplace and the community.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has today announced the opening of its 600th IHG® Academy programme, having doubled the number operating globally in the past year. IHG opened over 300 programmes during 2014 alone, giving almost 6,700 new IHG Academy participants the opportunity to develop the skills needed to work in the hospitality industry.
In line with its long-term strategy and turnaround programme Route 2015, the Rezidor Hotel Group further optimizes its organisation and announces a reshaped Executive Committee. Elie Younes, formerly Senior Vice President & Head of Group Development, has been promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer. Marianne Ruhngaard, Senior Vice President & General Counsel; and Eugene Staal, Senior Vice President Technical Development have left the company.
This rigorous Hospitality program is designed to bring highly talented high school students to Switzerland (The Birth Place of Hospitality and Tourism) in the summer for an unparalleled academic, social and cultural introduction to life and learning in one of the most the beautiful cities of Switzerland.
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) deploys its strategic development objectives under the leadership of its Board of Governors. The newly formed "EHL SA" holding company aims to ensure the management of its various specialized business units.
In an effort to attract the most talented job seekers in the industry, Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) has enhanced its careers site and job search process with improved search functionality and behind-the scenes photos submitted by current employees. The campaign entitled #PictureYourselfHere is designed to provide job seekers with a more inspiring job search experience and give them an authentic glimpse into what it is like to work at Marriott International.
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), the Conrad N. Hilton College at the University of Houston and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) join forces to offer an exceptional new Master's program in Global Hospitality Business.