Like any successful business, the hotel industry can’t afford to rest on its laurels. Considering that guest service is at the heart of the hotel experience and that rank-and-file associates have the most direct contact with guests, it, shouldn’t come as a surprise that hotel companies invest a lot of time and energy in developing training programs to ensure that associates understand the fine points of guest service.
Hotel companies have learned that the most effective training is not a one-time occurrence. To the contrary, while new employees need guest-service training as part of their initial orientation, experienced associates benefit from periodic “refresher” courses, as well.
A recent example is InterContinental Hotels Group’s True Hospitality online training, which was launched last summer. Working by themselves, associates view a video and then complete learning modules covering a range of topics. While face-to-face training is valuable, a computer-based approach allows for greater flexibility in terms of scheduling and consistency.
Given the diverse nature of today’s hospitality workforce, the best training programs take cultural differences into account as well as proficiency in English. Critics might argue that refresher courses are unnecessarily repetitive. But repetition may be helpful in making sure participants fully grasp the core concepts being discussed.