| Here's a review of findings from a set of personal | | | | hotels are currently at or near the very pinnacle of |
| interviews conducted with leading London hoteliers: | | | | the London hotel rankings on TripAdvisor. Comments |
| Rocco Forte Collection (including Brown's in London). | | | | from previous guests highlight the friendly staff and |
| Sir Rocco Forte's hotels have high staff retention | | | | the service philosophy based on "tiny noticeable |
| rates but there is "no magic answer" to achieving this. | | | | touches". The Group's CEO believes in recruiting |
| The emphasis is on training and providing clear and | | | | people who have lovely personalities who are then |
| direct communication to people about what is | | | | given continuous professional training.The |
| expected of them. Rocco Forte Hotels also invest a | | | | management team is stable and this also helps to |
| lot of time and effort in creating an attractive | | | | provide a very solid example to staff. |
| working environment. | | | | Malmaison (a 4 star chain of boutique hotels). At |
| Intercontinental Hotels Group. This company has a | | | | Malmaison they like to emphasise a sense of fun in |
| creative approach to training its staff. For example | | | | everything they do. As the CEO himself puts it: "If it's |
| they use "Learning Maps" to help staff empathise | | | | not fun we'll make it fun!" This results in a company |
| with customers by walking through the hotel from | | | | culture where staff are given ways to find |
| the customer's perspective. Because staff need to | | | | enjoyment and fun in their day to day jobs. The |
| follow the tone and style of each brand, training is | | | | company also puts an emphasis on product-based |
| brand-driven - it is quite different for Holiday Inn as | | | | training by partnering with its suppliers: this is quite an |
| compared to Intercontinental for example. The | | | | unusual approach but reflected in the service that |
| company also runs an "Employee Room Benefit | | | | guests receive in Malmaison's London hotel. |
| Programme" to let staff use any of their hotels | | | | One Aldwych (iconic 5 star hotel). The legendary |
| worldwide at cheap rates. | | | | founder of One Aldwych, Mr Campbell-Gray, told |
| Claridge's (Maybourne Hotel Group). At this company's | | | | London Hotels Insight that his core belief in managing |
| ultra-deluxe hotels, they pride themselves on their | | | | hotels is: "love your staff". He wants all One Aldwych |
| ability to recognise you when you return to stay | | | | staff to provide great service in a natural way "from |
| there and to offer you extremely personalised | | | | the heart" and they ban the use of "service scripts" |
| service. There is plenty of hard work behind this and | | | | which are sometimes used at other hotels. The hotel |
| the training is usually driven by mystery shopping | | | | has a down-to-earth service style which leads to it |
| feedback. They use their most experienced team | | | | being "a snob-free zone" as the management put it. |
| members as "role models" to act as mentors for new | | | | Hilton. Hilton is famous for being consistent wherever |
| hires. | | | | you are in the world and a large part of this is down |
| The Lanesborough. This is an exclusive, ultra-luxurious | | | | to its online "Hilton University". This is the company's |
| hotel near Hyde Park with a managing director who is | | | | global training resource centre and it emphasises the |
| one of the most respected hoteliers in London. He | | | | shared Hilton values, wherever in the world you |
| passionately believes in leading by example and has a | | | | happen to be working. Do check out the review of |
| pragmatic approach to staff training: learning on the | | | | the best Hiltons in London at London Hotels Insight. |
| job is reinforced by regular meetings in which new | | | | You're bound to enjoy staying in one of the above |
| ideas are encouraged. | | | | top London hotels even more, now that you know a |
| Red Carnation Hotel Collection. All of this group's | | | | bit more about the staff who work in them. |