2. ITB Hospitality Day: Discussion on "Human Resources"
Augsburg (February 9, 2007). Many of the world's hotel markets have become saturated and hotels interchangeable. Now the industry is concentrating on its "software", that is, the staff. Boom markets such as Dubai are draining staff from other continents and in Europe poor wages and an even poorer image are forcing the next generation into other branches of industry. So what do today's hotels do for their staff? How are they motivating them and how are they negotiating through such times of chronic staff shortages? Those at the top of human resources in large chains and representatives from the universities will discuss the subject at the second hotel congress at the ITB, the "Hospitality Day" set for Thursday, 8 March.
"Human Resources + Investment: What are hotels doing for their staff?" will be the official title of the discussion round in which renowned experts will take part. Séverine Restout, Human Resource Director Europe & Africa from Hilton University; Gisela Willmes, Area Director Human Resources Ritz-Carlton Berlin; Thomas Althoff, CEO of Althoff Hotels & Residences as well as Rajesh Padmanabhan, Executive Vice President, Human Resources The Oberoi Group and Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development will take part in the talks. Host to the discussion will be Joe D. Strodel, Director of Corporate Relations, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
Guests can therefore certainly expect an interesting round of talks: India's Oberoi Hotels run their own hotel school and the Oberoi family are among those firms to encourage and support women into the workforce, something which in this part of the world is anything but the norm. Ritz-Carlton is renowned for its clever HR-system, a system which creates a service culture under the motto "Ladies & Gentlemen serving Ladies & Gentlemen".
Thomas Althoff, as German hotelier, also developed a small but well thought out training and career programme especially tailored to the needs of his group. And bed giant Hilton has created the "Hilton University" specialising in e-learning for its staff. Joe D. Strodel, representative of the famous "Alma Mater" of the hotel world, Cornell University in the USA, will have the task of getting each participant to impart to an audience their particular view of the personnel situation and its development.
"Yes, it is becoming harder to find qualified staff," Thomas Althoff confirms of the current situation in Europe, "yet this is less acute in the management sector than in less well paid positions." And with this he doesn't mean just the dishwasher or the chambermaid, but the chef for the second restaurant: It has become increasingly difficult to find staff for such jobs.
Even boom markets such as Dubai are experiencing staffing problems. Although the hotels there are attracting enough applicants for the jobs, especially from southern Asia, with the promise of high wages, hoteliers are still showing signs of worry. It takes an enormous amount of time to train these staff, to give them the right language coaching and to teach them our service expectations.
The ITB Hospitality Day will therefore concentrate on elements of staff motivation and on concrete possibilities for training. One thing is certain: The future of the service industry depends crucially on the level of its service. And computers are only of limited help here.
The discussion about Human Resources is to take place on Thursday, March 8 from 2.45 to 3.45 p.m. in Hall 7.1 a, Auditorium New York 1. It's free of charge for all ITB visitors. / map
Continuative Links:
- EVENTS / ITB Hospitality Day: Stars + bloggers - Are guests better hotel testers?
- EVENTS / ITB Hospitality Day: Stars + bloggers - Are guests better hotel testers?
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