The widening skills gap in the luxury hospitality industry is jeopardising the industry’s capacity for sustained excellence, even though the demand for high-end experiences has remained strong. This means that the industry is standing on the edge of a pivotal moment.
Franck Arnold, Managing Director and Regional Vice-President of The Savoy, believes that it’s crucial to proactively address the skills gap in the industry in order to protect the future of British hospitality. In this piece, he discusses his outlook, and how The Savoy is approaching the issue.
Though the global pandemic and Brexit were undoubtedly a blow for the hiring landscape in the industry, it has improved since. However, we are faced with one continued issue: a lack of skilled and experienced professionals in the candidate pool. In my experience, this is because traditional hospitality education simply isn’t equipping future leaders with the tools they need to meet, and exceed, the sophisticated demands of our industry.
Identifying the problem
At The Savoy, we typically find sufficient talent in support functions such as HR, sales, marketing and finance. However, the real pinch-points are in guest-facing roles such as housekeeping, bars, food and beverage, restaurants and culinary roles. We also find that there are significant skills gaps with management roles, too, with potential candidates lacking the practical experience that’s required to drive the success of a hospitality enterprise via the confident guidance of their teams.
We can see the impact of this immediately, and potently: the industry struggles to deliver the exceptional quality and quantity of service that guests have come to expect, and the reputation of individual hospitality organisations directly suffers. In time, the luxury hospitality sector in London, and indeed the UK as a whole, will become threatened as it loses its competitive edge. The challenge is also intensified by the growing number of luxury properties in the capital, as new establishments are competing for an already limited pool of talent.
The power of practical experience
Currently, traditional hospitality education does not provide the comprehensive practical understanding needed for effective leadership, a key factor contributing to the current skills deficit.
At The Savoy, we want to invest in training that will cultivate an environment where aspiring leaders can gain valuable insights into each department. Without this, it becomes challenging for leaders to empathise with their teams and make successful, strategic decisions. At the core of our business is human interaction and emotional intelligence – two things that classrooms cannot comprehensively teach.
It’s imperative that future leaders understand the nuances of these interactions. There are some things, such as real emotional intelligence, adaptability and the ability to adjust to diverse guests and colleagues, that can only truly be developed in the workplace, where performance is paramount and real-time problem-solving is the norm. Therefore, modern hospitality education must start to extend beyond theoretical knowledge and integrate real-life practical experiences. Not only is this crucial for developing well-rounded leaders, but it will have a knock-on effect on the performance of the entire team.
Integrated learning for real-world readiness
Having a first-row seat to the skills shortage, I have a unique understanding of the issue. This has driven me to become part of the solution. Over the past year, I have been working with other leading London luxury hospitality professionals and Regent’s University London to create courses that are specifically designed to address the skills gap.
We started with pioneering the Luxury Hospitality Management undergraduate degree programme, which launched in January. The course constantly integrates theory and practice via the apprenticeship model throughout the degree, instead of separating them into distinct blocks. Not only does this pragmatic combination prepare candidates well for academic demands, but also for workplace demands, meaning they are able to fast-track into leadership roles.
When a student joins The Savoy through this programme, we expect that they will have already learned far more than exclusively operational tasks. In the course, they will develop skills essential to our success as a luxury organisation: versatility, an inclusive mindset and the ability to work seamlessly with diverse teams. They will also have learned resilience from their own failures, which is vital for the future challenges they will face in the industry. The supportive, diverse, vibrant and inclusive environment that the university nurtures will also mean they develop a comprehensive understanding of luxury, attention to detail, professional behaviour, discretion and humility in serving others.
I don’t believe that this type of learning should be limited to just new talent, as cultivating a culture of constant learning and growth within the industry is crucial for its success. To expand learning to existing talent, Regent’s is also launching a part-time Luxury Hospitality Management MA later this year. Specifically designed to accelerate the careers of professionals already working in the industry to senior management, the course is also open to those without a degree. We hope that this will remove another barrier that has blocked many talented individuals from realising their full potential within the hospitality sector and becoming the leaders they deserve, and have the capacity, to be.
Investment in people
Future-proofing the luxury hospitality talent pipeline relies on the provision of educational programmes that provide significant practical experiences, especially ones that will confront students with real-world challenges from the outset. Early exposure helps future managers truly understand every part of working in hospitality, which will in turn allow them to become better leaders with a defined career path.
Ultimately, the future of the luxury hospitality sector rests on our investment in adequate education. Without it, ambitious talent won’t be properly equipped to harness the amazing opportunities our industry offers, and luxury properties like The Savoy will struggle to maintain the world-class service we are so proud of.
Find out more about Regent’s Luxury Hospitality Management (BA Hons)
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