[woem1]

All
As a chef with 24 years of experience working in many of the top international 5 star chains I wanted input from individuals whose specialty is HR and training.

Hotel companies spend a large amount of time, effort and money on training their employees but I feel they fall short. I have always felt the accountability and follow up isn't there. For example, and I am not trying to sound like the typical chef who is against the front of the house, but I have seen restaurant servers tested and held accountable for their food and wine knowledge only once in 24 years! It is sad that American restaurant chains like TGI Fridays, Chilis and Houstons give their staff tests and do not let them perform their job without supervision unless they pass the test but in 5 star hotels that is not the case.

Overall I feel it is the smaller (so to speak) standards that get neglected like uniform standards. If an employee is wearing a stained shirt that is a big, noticeable thing but if they wear the wrong colored belt or socks, it is often let go.

Managers often feel they can't document an employee for the smaller things (as I used to feel) such as the wrong color socks or putting parsley on the plate wrong. Of course, with any shortcoming a manager has to handle it properly, address it verbally and give the employee the chance to improve it............you won't treat an employee who is wearing the wrong color socks the same way you would treat an employee who brings drugs to work.

The point is, standards are standards and I know when I was a younger manager, I didn't know how to properly hold people accountable; it took me working in a nightmare of a union hotel in NYC to learn how to do that.

I know about Disney and their ultra-high standards and feel hotel companies could and should learn from them.

To end on a positive note, I didn't write this because I have a problem with hotels. If it weren't for hotels I wouldn't be the professional I am. I just feel we are dropping the ball...............we go to the extent to train our staff but standards still lack.

How do you all feel about that? Comments, positive or negative?

[richardhdagger]

I completely agree with you. I am actually a Hotel Trainer and have trained in a lot of Hotels the Front Office and Reservations staff, in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, Maldives, Mauritius, Indonesia and Vietnam and defiantly standards are slipping. However I feel in Asia they have not slipped as much as in other parts of the world.I am based here in the Philippines (Davao) and at present trying to purchase a 60 Room Hotel where I will not only be the owner, but also the operator. I certainly shall be monitoring standards ALL the time, and training my staff ALL the time.richard.h.dagger@hotmail.com