News & Stories
Munich. The marketing expert and management trainer Gerhard Fuchs from Munich developed a training programme for future concierge heads together with the association "Goldene Schluessel Deutschland". 30 young concierges participated in the first three-day workshop in the Dorint Sofitel Berlin - talents from their own ranks, but also non-members. hospitalityInside talked with Gerhard Fuchs about the new job image that is to be conveyed.
Munich. Concierges are far from belonging to the well-accepted heads of department of a hotel and many managers still relegate them to their box in the lobby. The modern men and women bearing the golden keys at their revers, definitely see their profession on management level in future. A training programme in Berlin has encouraged the young people, and aims at attracting the attention of the management.
Landsberg/Saale. Nobody likes to talk about it but many people actually do it: they confide in a coach. Managers and models, teachers and vivid exotic people talk freely to professionals about their worries and insecurities, longings and dreams. It generally helps those seeking advice to know that their dialogue partner is neutral. Telephone coaching even intensifies this feeling.
Hamburg. If price and service of hotels do not differ greatly, a traveller will always go with the brand he finds more sympathetic. This is obvious to the employee and it motivates him to do “more”. Or was the motivation that came through his brand a stimulus to enhance his already courteous service? The most recent survey of the American research institute Maritz, which has a representative office in Hamburg, sets the brand in an interesting light regarding employee and guest behaviour.
Up until now, telephone coaching is rarely practised in Germany. This "distanced" kind of open and trustful advice has many advantages and leads to the same results as conventional personal coaching.
Being a business and personal coach, Claudia Grings gets to know people in many different situations who have different problems. These are two examples that show how the affected persons found a solution by themselves.
Cologne. Business executives commit themselves to work for Althoff Hotels for at least two years after their "career coaching" programme. Germany's finest luxury hotel chain has developed its own programme for interested employees. This programme, introduced in autumn 2003, takes between two and four years to complete. Andreas Schmitt, Vice President Operations at Althoff, is responsible for the company's training programmes and comments on some of the details.
Washington. "I have been at Marriott for 39 years," John W. Marriott III introduces himself with a smile on his face: The "crown prince" of the third largest hotel company of the world made his debut at this year's International Tourism Exchange in Berlin. The to-do list of his father Bill W. Marriott - a file with 120 jobs to be processed each day - is still unknown to John; however, there is enough work for him waiting to be done. For four years, he has been Senior Vice President for the "Mid-Atlantic" region, which comprises 115 hotels. In addition, he is working as Chief Executive Officer of JWM Family Enterprises, a tiny company with seven hotels of different brands owned by the family itself.