Dive Brief:
- Employers in the hotel industry, including Michigan-based AHC+Hospitality, have recently focused staff training on improving customer service skills, along with connecting with local business leaders and tourist attractions, The New York Times reports.
- George Aquino, VP and managing director of the hotel group, told NYT that technology has certain limits and that personal human touches can make all the difference in the hospitality industry.
- According to the article, other regions and hotel groups around the U.S. are embracing this idea and including training that introduces workers to the local culture, history and business networks with the goal of improving guests' stays. The training also helps millennials, who they say often struggle with face-to-face customer interactions.
Dive Insight:
The hospitality industry is reporting promising (albeit anecdotal) results from this training. They say its great for business because it provides hotel guests with a warm and friendly environment, hopefully creating repeat customers. Guests may even write a positive review about the hotel as a result.
Additionally, employees end up with a wide range of skills, which is good for business. Other employers have already found that soft skills training can be an investment in, for example, employees' ability to handle difficult, often volatile situations.
An Aeon report release last month says that these employers are on the right track: with automation encroaching on traditional skill sets, future job seekers will need to lean increasingly on "emotional labour" to stay relevant.
