WE ❤️ HOSPITALITY - Shama Tanvir

The last year has been terrible for the hospitality sector. Most businesses have seen extreme financial challenges and its reputation as an employer has been severely affected. We are now hearing from many, many of our clients about their fears for the future from staff shortages to skills gaps and top mid-senior talent moving to other sectors.

Krishnan Doyle is sharing his conversations with service industry leaders and operators on all that is good about hospitality & catering with the purpose to improve the sector's reputation as one of the largest employer worldwide but also as a great place to develop your career. 

How did you get into hotels & resorts? 

I was seeking a career where I could be a true HR generalist and work in an industry where the hours are flexible as a working mother.  I was and still am able to work flexible hours to meet the needs of the business but also myself.  It’s great to be able to be free for school commitments and switch my working day to the weekend.  In the decision making between “corporate” offices and hospitality, I chose hospitality as I simply love the sector, I enjoy holidays and memorable experiences, my role is now to ensure my team and I provide these. 

Do you think it is important to have studied a related topic to be a success in the sector? 

I think it’s valuable and learning is very important.  In hospitality there are a multitude of opportunities available.  For example, a junior team member can join with no related areas of study.  We as an employer train our talents on all elements of their role, provide superb training by Accor and every talent is offered an opportunity to study an apprenticeship by our learning partners, Umbrella Training.  We don’t miss opportunities and allow our team to study and grow into a role of their interest. 

Which leader / figure inspired you and why? 

I was inspired by the lovely Ann De Cruz, who used to be the Group HR Manager for Embassy Leisure Breaks/Ramada Jarvis.  I loved her approach to all team at head office, back in my younger days of working as a reservations agent!  I then met Katharine Gourely (Head of HR Business Partnering at Travelodge) whilst studying for my CIPD.  She completely inspired me on all things engagement and opened many doors of learning opportunity for me.  I will be forever grateful.

What keeps you in the sector and why do you enjoy working in it? 

The people!  The network! Everyone knows everyone and it’s so nice to easily connect and work with new people.  The passion for delivering great service and seeing all the 5 Star reviews on TripAdvisor!  Recently with our new food concepts opening across my 3 MGallery Hotels, we have had superb reviews, it makes me very proud of my team.

Tell us about the development / training that you give to your teams and management

Firstly, we are very open and discuss learning at the point of recruitment, we want our talents to form their plans for the coming years and know we will support them every step of the way.  Accor Academie are unrivalled for their training, we have a guest training program called “Heartist”, which is really special, we are all Heartists in Accor! You have to experience it; it has its own reputation.  We have Accor Management Development Programs, again absolutely fantastic and our talents work learn with all the different brands in Accor.  We also have a program called “Step Up”, created for women especially, enabling them to grow and support in obstacles along the way that we as women face.  All talents also have the options of joining any apprenticeship offered by Umbrella Training and we provide ongoing continued support.  If a talent wishes to study a topic/provide we do not currently offer, this is also fine, we are always looking at options for our talents. 

What advice would you give to those starting out in the sector?

There is so much more to hospitality!  Revenue, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Hotel Operations, Talent and Culture! It is not as once perceived as just a job to do whilst studying, this is a real career with worldwide opportunities. I know many a colleague who have moved nationally/internationally thrilled to be still in hospitality. Most of the skills you already have are very likely to be transferable, plus the perks are amazing, you will enjoy all talent engagement activity we offer.  Oh, and we are all feeders!

If you could go back and tell yourself one piece of advice as you started your career, what would it be? 

Take the plunge, follow your gut instinct and be brave.  If you are considering doing something, just do it. I made decisions then, which on reflection now, were more for society and cultural norms, as opposed to what I wanted to do.  Hospitality is in my heart and will always be.

If you would like to take part as a leader in this thriving sector, get in touch with Krishnan (krishnan@corecruitment.com)