Choose well to work better

By: Duván Chaverra A.

On many occasions within this section administrative issues ranging from design, marketing or security have been discussed, but this time we will talk about a fundamental aspect in the image of a hotel, which goes beyond the superficial and the real estate comforts that these establishments can offer.

The staff can improve or destroy the image of the hotel, it can make guests feel comfortable or annoy them and the proper functioning of the establishment depends exclusively on the staff hired to cover the different work areas.

However, there are many cases that have occurred in the industry in which a deficient employee directly affects the image of the hotel and can even generate the loss of a client due to poor service.

Therefore, in this edition of HOTEL MANAGEMENT we will develop the topic of the selection of personnel of a hotel, with the purpose of delivering some appropriate recommendations for you to take into account when choosing the group of people who will accompany you in the proper development of the daily functions within the establishment.

We consider it pertinent to know two points of view on the subject and therefore, we invite Francisco Rodríguez, general manager of Capital Hoteles, who from the management will share his experience and knowledge; and with Gerardo Barrios, President of Amvar Consultants of the Bahamas, who from the vision of a hotel consultant will also intervene with his recommendations.

A good selection
According to experts, a good selection of personnel starts from an in-depth analysis of the person interviewed, which ranges from their personal presentation to their experience and safety.

For example, Gerardo Barrios assures that the hotelier must have a good selection plan so that the person interviewed can fill the gaps that are needed within the place: "Each position must have prepared a description of it and the specification of each of the skills and strengths that are required to optimally develop the position to be occupied."

Francisco Rodríguez agrees with the theme of the previous study of needs, adding that the appropriate person for a position within an establishment of this class must adapt to it.

"First of all, you must have well defined the type of product and service offered in the hotel, since a city hotel is not the same as a beach hotel or a casino. You have to look for a profile that suits the type of client with whom you are going to work. A clear example would be a hotel in Disneyland, where you have to have a profile of worker who has a clear vocation towards the attention of children; or in a city hotel, where there is an employee profile that knows about computer systems, flight frequencies and the location of company offices, which can be an added value when dealing with a client looking for a company on the first visit to the city".

Likewise, an applicant for a certain position must have a good disposition for service: "The main characteristics to work within a hotel are: having a positive attitude, skills in social relations and with the public and a vocation to serve others. None of those skills can be trained."

For his part, the general manager of Capital Hoteles indicated that the client should be the main objective of anyone interested in working for a hotel: "There is a question that I always ask when I am in a personnel selection process: do you know who is going to pay you the salary at the moment you start working with us? The answer is clear: the customer. If the interviewee answers things like 'the company' or 'myself with my effort', it is clear that for my point of view he does not have a vocation for customer service and that he considers that the owner may be more important than a client. Therefore, an applicant to work in a hotel must have a vital characteristic: a clear vocation for customer service, either to the person who is staying, as to the travel agency that made the reservation and to which the collection of the same must be managed later, as well as to those companies that deal directly with the hotel to accommodate their employees. "

Everything enters through the eyes
Those who have had the opportunity to act as guests in a hotel value the importance of the presentation of all the staff of the place, as this is the first impression that the visitor has of the service that he will later receive during his stay.

For our experts, personal presentation is key. For example, Francisco Rodríguez assures in this regard that "physical appearance is important and hoteliers pay a lot of attention to it. The main reason is because we work to provide services to thousands of people of different classes, so a standard image must be offered, to call it in some way, that does not generate any type of rejection or discomfort in the client. "

He added that he is particularly concerned that his staff always carries a good personal presentation at all times: "Even if you are not in direct contact with the client, it may be the case that they meet someone from the establishment, and for that reason the guest must feel comfortable at all times in the place where he is staying. In my case I do not allow piercings, rings or tattoos in visible places, as well as hair colors that may be surprising, or come to work without shaving. Outside the workplace I don't have any problems with the look, but inside the hotel the appearance says a lot about a person and the place where he works."

Difficult employees
In many cases, although the selection plan has been created to minimize the risks of failure in the selection of personnel, there may be times when employees do not fulfill their duties due to different circumstances, that is why Gerardo Barrios invites you to make a complete reflection before taking any action: "Each position must have key strengths during hiring. Then, the training period will be responsible for giving all the information to the employee. If the employee then fails to fulfill his duties, we must evaluate where in the selection process the failure was: hiring, training and training or direction. Depending on the situation, the steps to be followed are evaluated as specific training in the weak areas of the employee."

Meanwhile, Rodríguez assures that it is the obligation of the hotels to ensure compliance with labor standards: "All staff must note that there is a responsible person. The director has to make decisions that are sometimes hard (dismissals, disciplinary proceedings), because otherwise the bad ways can be extended to other employees, who would see it as normal not to arrive on time or not to meet the needs of customers. The actions taken to eradicate bad behaviors must be explained to the rest of the workers so that they see that they are not one-person decisions, but that everything is done in search of a common purpose that is the best image of the hotel. Although it is advisable to give a first notice about non-compliance with the rules, second chances must result in the end of the employment relationship. The case of department heads is more serious, and they should not be admonished, but clearly stated that they are told the ruling only once, the next only has one way out and that is the dismissal by the company. "

Promotion expectations
Every applicant for a job wants to be elected and from that moment the struggle to ascend gradually begins. In the case of hotels it is not different and, although the work group is divided into different areas, a worker can aspire to positions that have nothing to do with his previous experience within the hotel. This is what the president of Amvar Consultants assures: "Usually the employee climbs in the area where he has demonstrated skills and strengths, although there are cases in which he looks for other fields. In my professional progress I was director of food and beverage and I asked as my next position to be trained as director of the Rooms Division, which gave me overall strengths throughout the property when I got my first promotion as CEO."

Rodríguez agrees that within a hotel you can ascend to the different work areas that compose it, but everything happens as long as the employee demonstrates conditions: "You can always climb in a hotel, but for this you have to have a clear vocation of effort to know new goals. It does not matter if you have only worked in the administration department or if you have a character suitable for public relations. That person in an administrative position could propose to work in a department where relationships with people are also important, thereby gaining more experience within the structure of a hotel, and a better knowledge of how others work. If a bellhop asks to be a receptionist and then move to commercial, he is demonstrating a spirit of continuous training that needs to be developed," he concludes.