By Danielle Schalk
Ensuring successful employee-employer relationships is essential to hospitality industry success. And, effective training forms the backbone of all of this.
“Having trained thousands of participants for hotel roles, we’ve found that top-notch training programs are key to attracting and keeping the best talent,” shares Mandie Abrams, executive director of Toronto-based Hospitality Workers Training Centre (HWTC). “Effective training shows a commitment to employee growth and development, which significantly boosts job satisfaction and retention.”
Robin O’Hearn, area director, Human Resources, Canada, Marriott International, agrees. “The data is very clear. The core values that candidates are looking for when selecting an employer are a place where they belong, where they can grow and develop their careers and achieve their personal goals,” she explains. “When associates can see their path forward, see where they belong in the organization and know where they’re going, that’s very powerful for retention and loyalty towards the organization.”
And, in the current labour market, inspiring retention and loyalty are especially pertinent.
According to Tourism HR Canada’s Canadian Tourism Labour Market Snapshot: June 2024, Canadian accommodations lost nearly 22,800 people over the past 12 months — a net decrease of 12.8 per cent. This stands in contrast to overall tourism industry growth of around 66,000 people, representing a year-over-year increase of three per cent.
Looking at the pre-pandemic baseline of June 2019, the accommodations sector remains the most heavily impacted within the wider Canadian tourism industry, down 25 per cent from 2019. This equates to 51,800 fewer people employed in the sector than five years ago. In this environment, approaches to training have become increasingly reliant on digital tools.
“The hotel industry has seen some significant shifts in its training programs over the past few years,” notes Abrams. “Technology, the drive for better customer experiences and, of course, the global pandemic has all played a big part. Digital training platforms and e-learning have really taken off, offering flexible and accessible options for everyone.”
The Chelsea Hotel Toronto is among those that have adopted more online offerings in recent years. As the hotel’s director of Human Resources, Jim Stewart explains, “We have incorporated more online learning where feasible. This allows the employee to take the training when it best suits them.”
An online platform proves especially powerful for large companies with staff and properties spread across the country (or globe).
“A key challenge for our organization is being able to offer associates a training platform that’s easily accessible and available in multiple languages, so that associates can engage in a way that works best for them,” says O’Hearn. “As a global company, scale is also an important consideration, to always ensure we’re delivering on our ‘People First’ promise and values by focusing on our three key deliverables — Growing Great Leaders, Investing in our Associates and Access to Opportunity.”
The solution to this challenge of scale is a proprietary learning platform, which helps ensure standardized training and service across a vast portfolio of hotels.
“We have a digital platform known as the Digital Learning Zone (DLZ) that allows associates of all levels to access various trainings and resources at times that are most convenient for them,” says O’Hearn. “Leadership learning is done largely in a virtual classroom to ensure we deliver easy access to all leaders and associates, along with some accelerated programs for high potential talent that supports various company priorities, including diversity and inclusion.”
Choice Hotels also leverages an online learning platform called Choice University. “It’s our primary online training platform that’s used at all properties across the country,” explains Rob Alldred, national director of Franchise Services, Choice Hotels Canada. “Choice University provides the hotels with personalized learning experiences. Each job function has a specific learning training map that covers the required elements for their positions.”
Beyond this, Alldred notes that the Choice Canada team also leverages a dedicated Canadian intranet system (iNN-touch), “which houses many training resources, news and more,” he explains. “The site provides information related to improving profitability, operational resources, sales and marketing resources, and Canadian vendor information. All the recordings of our [weekly] webinars are also posted to this site for the hotels to access.”
However, in hospitality, the personal touch can’t be overlooked. Plus, as Chelsea Hotel Toronto’s Stewart points out, “We have to ensure that the type of training is geared towards how the employee learns best.”
“We utilize a number of tools for training — given the vast demographic of our workforce,” continues Stewart. “Online training is very good in technical skill training. [However,] when training in customer service and other soft-skill training, in-class training works the best for us,” highlighting the value of role playing activities and ensuring personal engagement with all participants.
“We do a fair bit of face-to-face/classroom training,” Stewart adds.
“This gives us the opportunity to validate training and understanding. Also, on-the-job training plays a vital role in [ensuring] employees understand how to do the specifics of their job.”
Comprehensive, immersive programs also have their place in getting new leadership members up to speed. As Alldred shares, “All new owners and general managers in the Choice Hotels Canada system are required to attend an in-person orientation at our headquarters. It’s a two-day session where [participants] will learn what Choice is all about. They hear from all functional areas of the company and learn what resources are available to them.”
Of course, training programming plays an important role well beyond onboarding.
“There’s only so much a new trainee can retain, therefore ongoing training is the key to take those initially learned skills and enhance them,” Stewart explains.
“Initial onboarding training is vital for setting the tone of a successful employment relationship. It gives new hires the essential knowledge and skills they need and aligns them with the company’s values, culture and standards,” says Abrams. But she’s also quick to note, “Ongoing and supplementary training programs are just as important. They ensure employees continue to develop their skills and stay current with industry changes.”
And, through continuous learning offerings such as conflict resolution, customer service and supervisor training, employees are given the opportunity to grow professionally. “This can support higher retention rates, as employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their professional growth,” Abrams adds.
More topical, of the moment resources are also important for empowering teams. As Alldred notes, Choice Canada provides additional/supplemental training opportunities through various means.
“We conduct quarterly regional conference calls that provide regional updates, along with other initiatives or programs; workshops are held each year that focus on improving guest satisfaction scores, along with best practices in services and brand standards; [and] our bi-annual fall conference provides attendees with various educational sessions that focus on a wide range of topics,” he explains. “We also host weekly Wednesday Webinars that are 20 to 30 minutes in length. Topics range from updates on brand standards, sales and marketing, as well as vendor and product updates. Each session is recorded for future reference.”
As Abram notes, ongoing learning is vital — especially as the industry and guest expectations continue to evolve. “There continues to be a focus on soft skills such as emotional intelligence and customer service. Health-and-safety protocols have become a top priority thanks to COVID-19. Plus, diversity and inclusivity are no longer just buzzwords — they’re key elements in training programs, reflecting what today’s consumers expect.”
And, with these shifts, some operators are bringing in more outside programs to supplement their in-house training resources.
“In 2024, access to efficient, affordable and high-quality training and compliance programs is easier than ever. Doing it all in-house may no longer be the most cost-effective and or productive means of ensuring that staff have all the skills necessary to meet business objectives,” Abrams explains. “Virtual, asynchronous training programs that can be assigned across departments and completed individually by staff, such as HWTC’s Anti-Bias or Customer Service training, provide opportunities to standardize training, ensure quality delivery and meet the needs of all kinds of learners in an organization.”
