Briefing: Disengaged employees need some inspiration

According to research by Gallup, only 13% of employees Worldwide are engaged in their work. Similarly worrying statistics have shown up across several studies in recent years. Boston Research Group, for example, found that 27% of corporate bosses and only 4% of employees believe their firms are inspiring places to work. People are vital in hospitality at all levels. Studies suggest that, when it comes to motivating teams, it can be the basics that make the difference, such as positive contact with management and a pleasant working environment.

In this briefing experts share their insights on employee engagement and motivation:

The 2013 study ‘State of the Global Workplace’ by Gallup suggests that it is important to ensure employees have good working lives. This is because “engaged employees are more likely to be ‘thriving’ – i.e., to rate their overall lives highly on a zero-to-10 scale.”

There may be many different ways of dealing with this issue across different companies and hotel brands. One element of Misha Pinkhasov’s (featured) ‘shared value’ approach to business, is to always considering things on an individual level. The approach suggests that companies as a whole need meaning so that individual employees are inspired.

Engagement, or lack thereof, also reflects in a company’s profits. Gallup estimates that employee disengagement costs Germany €112 Bn to €138 Bn per year ($151 Bn to $186 Bn) and the U.K. between £52 Bn and £70 Bn ($83 Bn to $112 Bn) per year.

A report by Towers Watson suggests that good leadership can make all the difference. It says: “in companies where both leaders and managers are perceived by employees as effective, 72% of employees are highly engaged.” This report, Global Workforce Study 2014, also states that whereas some employees may be engaged on a basic level, they are lacking the ‘enablement’ (tools and resources) and ‘energy’ (from a good work environment) to perform at their best. They say that that this ‘unsupported’ worker accounts for 19% of the global workforce.

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Wellness – A surging $3.4 trillion market

The Global Wellness Institute’s 2014 report has revealed that Wellness is a US$3.4 trillion industry. The Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor shows that there has been rapid growth of the industry in recent years, which the report attributes to population aging, economic prosperity in emerging economies, and the stresses and strains of modern living. The spa industry alone has grown more than 50% from US$60 billion in 2007 to US$94 billion in 2013.


The Institute’s study covers spas, wellness tourism and thermal/mineral springs. It suggest that wellness tourists, which it defines as tourists seeking activities to, “maintain or enhance their personal wellbeing,” spend 59% more than the average tourist.

Asia now has the largest number of spas globally, the report states, whilst Europe still receives the highest revenues from the industry at US$29.8 billion. Africa and Latin America have also seen rapid growth of spas. Asia is the leading region for the more traditional thermal and mineral springs, with a revenue of US$26.7 billion, most of which is produced by resorts in Japan and China.

In 2013 the spa industry had 1.9 million employees and the wellness industry had 14.5 million employees, according to the report.

The study predicts that growth in these industries will continue. It states: “As more and more consumers take preventative measures to maintain good-body health, prevent diseases, and to age well as they live longer, the demand for wellness industry products and services will only increase.”

Briefing: keeping your team and colleagues motivated

In a global hospitality organisation it can be very difficult to keep in touch with colleagues in multiple locations, in multiple languages, across multiple timezones. Motivating these cherished members of your team is a task which shouldn’t be taken lightly considering these people are conveying the brand standards to your guests 24/7.

But how do you maintain the high-standards you expect? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you retain those members of staff who are the true champions of your hospitality organisation. This is discussed in this week’s briefing, with comments from:

  • Pierre O. Botteron, VP – Human Resources for Swissotel Hotels & Resorts on the need to deliver in-house consistency
  • Gerald Lawless, President & Group Chief Executive Officer for Jumeirah Group on keeping his colleagues motivated
  • David Thomson, COO for JA Resorts & Hotels, on retaining your cherished staff
  • Robert Gaymer-Jones, CEO of Sofitel Luxury Hotels on retaining the brand philosophy globally

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: creating positive online sentiment with engaged consumers

The explosion in the way that everyone uses technology has dominated much conversation over the last few years. Technology, and more specifically the Internet, has brought new opportunities and new headaches for some in the way they communicate with stakeholders.

Consumers now engage with brands more directly in an online world which is completely segregated from the ‘real-world’ experiences they are having. Hoteliers need to react and engage with these online conversations to mitigate the risk of their brands being diluted. In this briefing we hear from:

  • María Zarraluqui, VP – Development of Melia Hotels International on the challenge of keeping up with these digitally engaged guests.
  • Gerald Lawless, CEO of Jumeirah Group on how to react to online negativity
  • Ewan Cameron, CEO of Lonrho Hotels on filtering through the information overload
  • And Robert Gaymer-Jones, CEO of Sofitel Luxury Hotels on creating that sought after online buzz.
 


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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: confidence emerging in hospitality

This is an exciting time in hospitality. The industry is outperforming the global economy and this optimism in the sector is allowing deals to be done. Although deal activity remains below the levels of pre-2007, it is important that the hospitality industry showcases itself more positively.

With the upward trends that we are seeing, this is a crucial time for hospitality to ensure that this positive message is delivered. This week, our experts offer their views on the current confidence in hospitality.

  • David Fenton, Senior Economist at RBS on the industry seeing significantly better growth than the global economy
  • Nick van Marken, Partner & Global Head – Travel, Hospitality & Leisure at Deloitte LLP with a warning to the industry
  • Gerald Lawless, President & Group CEO of Jumeirah Group on the industry that’s often forgotten
  • And Josh Wyatt, Partner – Hospitality & Leisure for Patron Capital Advisors on the confidence he sees in the industry
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: global development of hospitality brands

Economic recovery globally is in a much better position than it was 12 months ago. Some markets however are still struggling whilst others are thriving and it’s integral to understand the macro-economic fundamentals before getting into the detail.

Whether you are a hospitality developer or an investor, understanding what product is needed in each market is essential and many believe this has fundamentally changed in recent years.

Which markets are the developers investing time and money to get a hotel product into locations? Which hotel product will work well in specific locations? How do you go about putting together a successful deal? All discussed in this briefing, including comments from:

  • Gerald Lawless, CEO of Jumeirah Group on the global growth of the luxury brand
  • Richard Candey, Head of Hospitality at DTZ on what makes a great deal
  • Maria Zarraluqui, VP – Development of Melia Hotels International on the worldwide regions her group are investing in
  • Mark Wynne-Smith, Global CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels on transactions in the US & EMEA region.
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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