Why celebrating your hoteliers though internal culture sets the pace for success

Celebrating hoteliers should be considered mandatory for success in today’s competitive hospitality labor market. Hotel leaders who take pride in recognizing team members that are consistent, loyal and show drive to continue learning will find that doing so leads to greater associate engagement and generates a groundswell of consistency over time. To receive consistency, operators must offer loyalty.

Caring for and cultivating a loyal team requires an upfront investment of capital and time, which is worthwhile given that turnover can cost your business. Ensuring team members are onboarded correctly and have the experience and confidence to lead their property is important. Old-school hospitality approaches, such as giving team members two weeks of close attention before they can operate solo, sacrifice efficiency to improve team members’ skills and long-term retention.  

Employee satisfaction scores also matter. Brushing low scores aside can come naturally in challenging operating environments, but they are the canary in the coal mine for an operations team that needs attention. Significant headwinds have buffeted the hospitality industry’s efforts to improve its standing in the labor market and finding ways to retain associates has become paramount. For this reason, we must show our team members we care about them as individuals and have leaders in place who care. Establishing a culture that cultivates consistency requires effort from the leadership team starting with the executive team, accountability and humility.  

Invest in Team Members

The human resources department is often the primary place on property focused on associate engagement. This practice rings hollow for many team members, who require attention from management to feel like a part of the team. When managers take time to connect with their team, the positive impact can reverberate across all operations.  

Successful managers prioritize forming bonds with employees as early as the onboarding process. When hoteliers have confidence, their outlook toward hospitality can change, especially if it is their first foray into the industry. This can set the pace and empower a hotel’s team to overcome challenges directly. One team member going the extra mile because they feel their team would do the same for them can change a guest’s night, impacting their experience forever. It comes down to having each other’s back and working shoulder to shoulder with the team members; you cannot accomplish that in an office.  

Hotel leaders can set these wheels in motion by identifying the team members most committed to long-term growth in the hotel and elevating them to positions of authority—like a captain on a sports team. Operators can also look for team members who take extra steps to provide a high-quality guest experience or take pride in their work. These are the associates who should be leading by example and setting the bar for service expectations. A general manager can learn a great deal from associates who fall into this space; I know I have. These are some of the most valuable members of any team. 

Hotels can track the effectiveness of this strategy by measuring the reduction in turnover or increases in employee satisfaction over time. General managers are encouraged to conduct one-on-one sessions with team members to learn more about their goals, desires and positive or negative experiences on property and address them to the best of their ability. Following this strategy creates a pathway to consistency where previous operators may have tried the same techniques repeatedly with little to no improvement. 

A Path to Progress

Hotels have a reputation for training excellent, skilled associates who often take their skills with them when they move on from our industry. This is a challenge that many industries face, but hospitality frequently loses star employees due to poor timing or a lack of attention to their individualized needs, growth goals or progress in their current position. Hotels must keep their team members’ aspirations in mind and learn to spot motivated team members willing to learn new skills or accept growing responsibilities. Operators should show these associates the steps they can take to elevate their careers within hospitality before they move on. 

Attention to a team member’s goals creates satisfaction and long-term loyalty among your associates. If employees genuinely feel they are working toward an attainable goal, there is no telling how far they will go to provide a positive stay experience to guests. Hotels should take steps to shoulder the accountability for the professional growth of their employees, starting with establishing a program for interdepartmental recognition. This could manifest as a weekly email newsletter, town hall meeting or informal gathering where positive performance is celebrated and rewarded. 

Lastly, operators must realize they have the power to improve their associate’s experience and reverse the negative trends impacting the hospitality labor market. Too often, hotel operations teams languish under fixable issues because they fail to communicate with team members individually or in a departmental meeting or town hall setting. Accountability is unavoidable in reducing turnover for all team members, including leaders.   

Hotel employees are parents, caretakers, children and pet owners: They have whole lives outside of work. They have short- and long-term goals that must be addressed. They recognize when their needs are being prioritized and when they are being brushed aside. Ensuring these team members are understood and valued is a necessary component of hospitality. Even guests can tell when hotels put in the effort to support their associates. It’s time our industry commits to reducing turnover for all the right reasons. 

Story contributed by Rachel Moniz, chief operating officer at HEI Hotels & Resorts.