Hospitality Training
How Investing in Employee Training Benefits Your Business
Success in the hospitality industry requires more than having the ideal location, pristine setting, shiny tableware, and an abundance of amenities. What will truly drive your success is the quality of your staff. Ensuring you have top-quality staff means investing in hospitality training.
Here are 6 ways in which investing in employee training will definitely pay off for your hospitality company.
1. Training Guarantees Guest Satisfaction
The biggest perk your guests are looking for is first-rate customer service. Give it to them and watch your hotel earn positive feedback where it matters most – on travel review websites where the power of word-of-mouth advertising is on full display. Plus, guests who are satisfied will be more likely to choose your hotel for future stays. The only way to be sure you are providing consistently outstanding service quality is by having staff that is highly trained in performing their tasks and interacting with guests.
2. Training Streamlines Company Culture for Consistent Guest Experience
Guests need to enjoy the same high level of customer service from every employee no matter how brief or indirect contact is with them. Appropriate hospitality training ensures that all employees are on the same page when it comes to the overall experience you want guests to have and the impression you want your hotel to leave on them. Streamlining company culture also helps with crafting and building your brand image. This can be especially important if your company operates different locations and needs to project the idea of, “These are the high standards that guests can expect from us regardless of where they stay.”
3. Training Builds a Qualified Pool of Employees
Programs conducted by qualified trainers can widen employees’ knowledge base and increase their skill set. A new hire, for instance, may also be new to working in hospitality and lacking in some of the basic people skills that are vital in the industry. In the case of a long-time employee, they may need upgrading in skills they already possess or to learn new ones as you prepare them for a lateral move or a promotion. Investing in the training of either of these employees is a wise HR move as it lets you build a much more qualified pool of workers.
4. Training Increases Retention Rates
Advertising vacancies, conducting interviews, and onboarding new team members can be costly. Increase your hospitality staff retention rate by investing in training. Technical training, such as bartender or sommelier training programs, help employees to feel more competent and confident in carrying out their jobs. Team building courses, on the other hand, can strengthen company spirit. Seminars aimed at improving managerial styles, for example, can result in better working relationships and increased perception among employees that they are treated fairly and respectfully. Provide these types of training for your employees and they are sure to want to stick around.
5. Training Ensures the Safety and Security of Both Guests and Employees
Safety and security are currently major issues in the hospitality industry, perhaps more so than they have ever been. Whether the emergency situation is small or large, natural or manmade, how your staff handles it can make or break your reputation in the industry. Do staff members know basic first aid or CPR? Are they trained in how to handle guests who are in a panic? Investing in these kinds of training for your hospitality staff shows them and your guests that you have the highest regard for their safety and security.
