What are some of the human resource practices that are implemented in luxury hotels such as: Marriott hotel and Four season hotel.

Question

What are some of the human resource practices that are implemented in luxury hotels such as: Marriott hotel and Four season hotel.

Answer

Some of the best HR practises used in the hotel industry are: Training and development- At Marriot hotel, training and development plays a key role. These programs differ between frontline employees and managerial staff. Training programs progress over time from classroom-based teaching to interactive multimedia training (ICMRindia,2004). Marriott also offers work-study mentoring programs for students (Hinklin and Tracey,2010). The employee training program at Four Seasons takes 3 months and comprises a range of activities such as classroom training; cross-functional exposure; formal testing; and a stay at the hotel, which gives new employees a direct means for learning about the hotel’s guest service philosophy and standards (Hinklin and Tracey,2010). Recruitment and selection- Four Seasons has the status of being fair to employees. Opportunities are given to qualified persons based on job-related credentials regardless of their status. This policy also is applied to areas such as promotions, training, discipline, compensation (ICMRindia, 2009). Four Seasons has created online job previews that give potential employees an outlook about work life at the hotel (Hinklin and Tracey,2010). Employee retention- In 2000, Marriott created a program named Management Flexibility on a pilot basis at 3 of its hotels. The aim was to help Marriott's managers balance their professional and personal lives, without negatively affecting customer service or the hotel's financials, thereby ensuring employees were happy in the workplace (ICMRindia ,2004). Performance management – Companies take an effective approach to this by ensuring that the criteria for evaluating effectiveness are clearly defined and understood by all employees, using performance measures that account for individual and collective contributions (Hinklin and Tracey,2010). Welfare and Rewards - Marriott attempts to provide its employees a good work life. The hotel gives equal importance to non-monetary aspects such as work-life balance, good leadership, growth opportunities, a friendly work environment and training (ICMRindia ,2004).

References

Hinkin, T. R., & Tracey, J. B. (2010). What makes it so great? An analysis of human resources practices among Fortune’s best companies to work for. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 51(2), 158-170. Available at: http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/articles/215/ (accessed 6/09/2016) ICMRindia (2004) Human Resource Management - Best Practices at Marriott International. Available at: http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/Human%20Resource%20Management-Best%20Practices-Marriott%20International-Case%20Studies.htm (accessed 6/09/2016) ICMRindia (2009) Four Seasons Hotels Inc.'s HR Practices: Fostering a Strong Customer Service Culture. Available at: http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/Four%20Seasons%20Hotels%20Inc-Customer%20Service%20Culture-Case%20Studies1.htm (accessed 6/09/2016)