People Awards 2024: People Champion Award – Canopy by Hilton London City

Shortlist

• Canopy by Hilton London City
• Plaza Khao Gaeng, JKS Restaurants

Canopy by Hilton London City has shown a genuine commitment to employee engagement and development, with an ethos underpinned by positivity and care.

Its culture is epitomised by the phrase “we’ve got you prioritised”, which applies to both guests and team members. The hotel has embedded this through continuous training, a focus on wellbeing and development, lead-by-example management and regular reinforcement of its core values.

An ambassador programme has been developed with participants selected for their expertise as well as their embodiment of the company’s values and culture. Personalised plans have been drawn up by Develop Me for more than 20% of the workforce, tailored to individual career goals and business needs, providing targeted training and mentoring. This approach has resulted in an improvement in job satisfaction, retention rates and productivity.

The team has also introduced two e-learning platforms, where employees can access a wide range of courses and materials to up-skill and re-skill at their own pace.

Canopy by Hilton also delivers further training to equip individuals with the tools to advance their careers. In their day-to-day roles team members are encouraged to take the initiative to tailor their service to each guest, which has resulted in exceptional guest satisfaction scores.

That ethos also applies to the hotel’s engagement with its local community. It has made a commitment to employ 30% of staff from the City of London and currently surpasses this target at 40%. The hotel also works with a number of suppliers and artisans from the area.

Over the past year, it has conducted four recruitment open days in collaboration with the City of London Council and supported individuals such as refugees, domestic abuse survivors, rehabilitated persons, those with disabilities and ex-offenders by providing interview skills and training. Six staff members from these backgrounds are now employed at the hotel.

It’s no wonder our judges said the hotel was clearly “exceeding expectations” when it came to employee engagement.

Judges’ comments

Sandra Kelly, skills director, UKHospitality: “Strong detailed submission with great evidence of exceeding expectations, strategic leadership and commitment to people and communities. This is a business with strong structures in place to be sustainable irrespective of changes in the team – a key indicator of an embedded people culture.”

People and culture consultant Sean Wheeler: “Robust and holistic approach to the people strategy. A strong local community focus is clearly showing results, while some out of the box ideas attract and retain local talent.”