Training program engages employees at Hand Picked Hotels: Staff turnover falls and satisfaction increases

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe an award‐winning training program that has helped to reduce staff turnover, improve employee and customer satisfaction and boost engagement with the brand at a luxury‐hotel group.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains the reason for the training at Hand Picked Hotels, the form it took and the results it has achieved.

Findings

The paper details the five learning modules that included facilitated discussions, games and role‐plays to explore the desired behaviors and their impact, and a personal‐development plan to focus on one key behavioral aspect per module to improve service or relationships.

Practical implications

The paper reveals that Hand Picked Hotels has seen: complaints fall by 40 percent, at a saving of £53,000 a year; increased loyalty‐club membership and so frequency of hotel visits; employee turnover in the first six months of employment down by 10.79 percent; and overall employee retention up from 47 percent to 61 percent a year.

Social implications

The paper describes how implementing the program in a difficult economic period showed employees how important they are to Hand Picked Hotels.

Originality/value

The paper explains how the training program helped Hand Picked Hotels to re‐energize its culture by defining the guest and team‐member experiences it wanted to deliver.

Citation

(2011), "Training program engages employees at Hand Picked Hotels: Staff turnover falls and satisfaction increases", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 7-10. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670731111163437