Hotel Cateys 2011 – Human Resources Team of the Year

**Hotel Cateys 2011 - Human Resources Team of the Year
**Sponsored by Caterer and Hotelkeeper jobs

WINNER: Royal Garden hotel, London

The independent, five-star Royal Garden hotel in London has a six-strong human resources team that looks after 344 employees across 32 departments.

The close-knit team is led by HR director Paula King who has been in charge for 12 years. It is that stability which has helped foster impressive results in a recent employee engagement survey with Inspiring Business Performance (IBP).

The survey rated the Royal Garden hotel as having "excellent" staff engagement results, placing it in the top 5% of all IBP results. Overall, nearly 85% were "committed to success" and almost 75% expressed satisfaction with their job - some of the highest results IBP has ever seen.

The hotel has also managed to reduce staff turnover in 2011 to 18.6% - well below the UK average of 31%. Almost 40% of the staff have worked at the business for more than five years.

Career development is also a key focus for the team. In 2009 it introduced a "Career Map" with around 180 positions across a variety of departments to raise awareness about possible career paths. In 2010/11 the team also developed a three-tiered approach to management development, having identified a gap in learning provision. Part of that involved the introduction of a Management Academy, delivered twice yearly.

And in a more unusual move, the HR team even facilitated the sale of furniture from 400 rooms to staff at preferential prices following a complete refurbishment, which involved the HR team volunteering to work on weekends to dispatch furniture to the correct address.

What the judges said…

"The team at the Royal Garden clearly deliver a very high-quality HR support linked to business goals. This marked them out for making a difference in the business and as being a truly respected partner."
Christian Armstrong, people & development director, Guoman & Thistle Hotels

"If you wanted an example of how an HR team should function efficiently, consistently and innovatively, Paula King and her team are respected as having these qualities in abundance."
Liz McGivern, director of human resources and training, Red Carnation

THE JUDGES
Christian Armstrong, people & development director, Guoman & Thistle Hotels
Della Fanning, business excellence manager, the Doyle Collection
Linda Halliday, HR director, Oakman Inns and Restaurants
Nick Halliday, managing director, Abode Hotels
Rebecca Holt, assistant HR director, Jumeirah Hotels
Liz McGivern, director of HR & training, Red Carnation
Jon Reed, operations director, learnpurple
Philippe Rossiter, chief executive, Institute of Hospitality
Sean Wheeler, area director of HR, the Dorchester

THE SHORTLIST
Royal Garden hotel, London
The Old Course hotel, Golf Resort and Spa, St Andrews
Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants

**FORMER WINNERS
**2010 Jumeirah Hotels
2009 The Berkeley
2008 The Dorchester