Understanding the Importance of Staff Training and Development in the Hospitality Industry

The hospitality sector is highly dependent on human capital, so it’s heavily affected by the shortage of manpower that came after the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of highly trained professionals is a current challenge that the members of the hospitality industry must overcome, especially now that many business and leisure travelers are once again resuming their journeys. The influx of guests from within and outside the Philippines provides hotels in Pasay and other areas in Metro Manila and the country with an excellent opportunity to revitalize their connection with their customers. However, the inability to fill their ranks promptly can hurt these establishments’ chances of greatly impressing their guests. 

Many local and international hotels are addressing this issue by boosting their staff training and development programs. This is because promoting continued learning and skill enhancement among staff members enables businesses in the hospitality industry to reap the following benefits. 

Ensure That the Industry Can Grow Its Pool of Present and Future Employees

The hospitality industry has been heavily affected by the disruptions caused by the pandemic. These disruptions not only affected the bottom line of the businesses that make up this industry, but they have also made an impact on the careers of many workers. Due to the bleak career prospects at the height of the pandemic, for example, many seasoned and senior hospitality employees opted to retire early or look for more lucrative positions elsewhere. The same can be said for young workers who found employment in industries other than hospitality. This interrupted the transfer of skills and knowledge between different generations of workers.

Training and development programs can help bridge this gap. The workers who stayed in the hospitality industry can undergo a refresher course to sharpen their skills, and they can sign up for classes that will prepare them for bigger responsibilities. New hospitality workers can attend classes that will arm them with the skills they need to live up to the standards set by the company as well as the expectations of the customers. Supporting such a program will guarantee that businesses will have enough skilled workers to fill different roles in their organizations. 

Meet the Needs of a Tech-Savvy Generation of Travelers 

Digital technology has grown significantly more popular during the pandemic, and this trend is not showing any signs of slowing down. Businesses in the hospitality industry must now anticipate serving a tech-savvy generation of travelers. To keep up with the demands of such guests, hotels must see to it that their employees can remain productive and professional in digital workspaces and interfaces that connect them to their customers. Providing classes that focus on digital tools and online conduct will help hotels ensure that their employees can do these tasks competently. This means that their workers can easily offer assistance to guests who may want to use whatever digital portals a hotel has. 

Create Opportunities to Improve Working Conditions in the Industry

The efficient use of digital technology can help lighten the load of hospitality workers. A centralized platform, for instance, can help the housekeeping department track which rooms have been cleaned and which rooms are requesting housekeeping services. This capability allows housekeepers to dedicate their efforts to cleaning rooms instead of watching out for various door signs. By streamlining their processes in this manner, housekeepers gain the means to clean more rooms while strictly adhering to the hotel’s cleaning standards during their shifts. 

Hospitality workers need to acquire a certain level of mastery over the digital systems that a hotel uses to do these things, though. A class on how to use these tools and technologies will ensure that the hotel and its employees are on the same page. Once staff members have mastered the use of the hotel’s digital system, they can delegate their mundane and repetitive tasks to it. This leaves them free to devote their time and energy to activities that directly impact their customers’ experiences. 

Firmly Instill the Company’s Values and Culture Upon Its Employees

Every hotel has its company values and culture, and its way of doing things. Offering unique experiences is a tried-and-tested means of capturing the attention of travelers. Unfortunately, it can be a challenge for a new hospitality worker to acquire and embody the culture and values of a company when there’s no one there to show them the ropes. 

Seminars that focus on helping hotel workers offer branded services will help address this particular issue. It can be easy for new workers to miss the specific services that a hotel brand offers its guests. But if these particular activities are pointed out to new hires in a demonstration or classroom setting, for example, then the new employees can easily become conscious of the standards that they have to adhere to as well as the conduct that is expected of them.

Continued staff training and development enables hotels to keep up with the drastic changes in the hospitality industry and the market that it serves. By making seminars, classes, training sessions, and mentorship programs accessible to their staff members, hotels ensure their brand’s survival and growth and the continued patronage of their customers.
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Chellsea Reyes