Hotel groups with one to 10 sites winner 2007
HOTEL GROUPS WITH ONE TO 10 SITES
Winner Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Employees 1,600
A genuine commitment to career development and staff wellbeing made this company an undisputed choice for the judges. Each hotel has its own training calendar, offering staff a wide choice of courses, including English, food hygiene and leadership skills. Under its Vita Futura programme, graduates can tailor their own development according to their individual career goals. And a worldwide "talent" database means most vacancies are filled internally.
In 2004, the company launched a mentoring programme for potential managers, now being rolled out online for every employee to access worldwide.
"As a company, we're on a journey to create a culture where our people feel valued and involved, in an environment that allows all associates to grow and reach their potential," says Jane Wright, director of human resources.
Commended Four Pillars Hotels
Employees 577
Four Pillars Hotels' clear dedication to staff training and internal communication impressed the judges in this category. Its new leadership development scheme, introduced last year, empowers managers to build winning teams. Regular reviews and staff achievement awards have led to better employee satisfaction and helped reduce turnover last year by 5%.
Commended Red Carnation
Employees 44
Judges described Red Carnation as "incredibly energetic", with "an ethos that shines". They were also impressed by the company's commitment to creating a multicultural workforce and a recruitment policy that genuinely promotes diversity.
An Ambassadors in Management scheme supports new supervisors and helps them build stable staff teams, while employee reward schemes and team-building events are run regularly. Following staff requests for flexible working, the company is striving to improve work-life balance.
