In-depth training and development from GHO
 In a reflection of its ongoing commitment to the training and development of member hotels, Great Hotels Organisation has launched its own in-house training facility: the Great Hotels Academy.
Thanks to the Academy, and the in-depth training it provides our members, hotels joining the GW code see an average increase of 25% in production. The Great Hotels Academy has been introduced to ensure members develop a deep understanding of how to achieve such results by utilising our tools to their fullest potential.
Once hotels have our HotelFactory technology, Great Hotels Academy can help ensure that their properties are set up correctly to take full benefit. A dedicated training manager will advise hotel members on the necessary training to use our technology effectively and, as a result, see an increase in reservations and profits.
Courses reveal rate strategy and demonstrate how HotelFactory can become a tactical tool, as well as covering sales and marketing programmes. There are several levels of training available to members:
- Great Start Training
Tailored for new members joining the GW chain code to show them how to set up and manage the technology and to give them the knowledge to maximise revenue through optimum use of all available services.
- Hire the Trainer
A customised one-day consultancy/review programme and training session for individual hotels.
- Electronic Distribution Training
This two-day course outlines what the various distribution channels are and shows how to get the best from electronic inventory and rate distribution. A key session gives an understanding of consortia programmes and teaches participants how to bid via the Request for Proposal tool in order to capitalise on the ability to penetrate key global markets.
- Revenue Management Training
Designed to give hotels new resources, tools and knowledge in how to increase revenue through optimal yield practices. Participants learn how to forecast accurately and implement the most efficient revenue management alternative for their property.
- Telephone Training
This training is available at any time using sharing software – Webex – to allow the trainer and trainee to view and work through documents, presentations and web pages together from different locations.
The objective of our training is to provide all Great Hotels with the skills and knowledge required to maximise revenue through optimum use of all services provided, as well as adding value to their human resources.
About the training
Before the training, our trainer will perform a thorough health check of participating hotels on the GDS and internet/ADS environment. The trainer will then make up a list of issues to go through during the face-to-face training.
The trainer will go through the hotels’ room types, rate plans, pricing strategies, wording, set-up and visibility. There are many pitfalls hotels can easily fall into. For example, hotels might set up too many unnecessary room types which could be consolidated. Some hotels have a one-rate strategy, which may not comply with the GDS standard and capture different market segments.
Some hotels may have sub-standard pictures and do not provide enough or sufficiently good-quality hotel information to its potential clients. This is just the tip of the iceberg – even a few such mistakes could affect the chances of selling your rooms to potential clients.
What improvements will you see?
After the Great Academy training, hotels will have learned how to control their inventory through GDS and IDS/ADS distribution systems.
Hotels will have a lot more confidence to control their e-distribution system and implement rate strategies which can be tailored to their needs, such as the awareness of consortia rates and enforcement of our net rate programmes. All of these could have a significant impact on the visibility of our member hotels – i.e. hotel room revenue.
| CASE STUDY 1 |
In early 2005, GHO became alerted to the fact that Hotel d’Europe was underperforming for a hotel of its quality and location. The Great Hotels Academy approached the hotel and introduced its training programme. On completion of the training, the hotel’s productivity increased by 197 room nights over the previous financial year – a 62 per cent increase in total room revenue.
"The training that I received from Great Hotels Academy was fantastic. The trainer was so enthusiastic about the whole episode and couldn’t have been more complimentary …”
Hendrik Daudeij,
General Manager, Hotel d’Europe, Avignon, France |
| CASE STUDY 2 |
Another example of how Great Hotels Academy can help your business is the Victoria Palace Hôtel. The hotel realised that it could achieve more potential through the online selling environment, and asked for help from Great Hotels Academy. After the training was conducted in February 2006, it increased productivity by 120 room nights over the previous year, and achieved a 31 per cent increase in total room revenue, not to mention other related increases in revenue, such as the bar.
“In February 2006 I sent our reservations clerk to a HotelFactory training session. As soon as she came back she was able to take full control of Victoria Palace Hôtel’s presence on the GDS and internet: simplifying the tariff structure, increasing our visibility and maximising our strategic use of HotelFactory’s capabilities.”
Michael E Erwin,
Director of Sales, Victoria Palace Hôtel, Paris, France |
Cases such as these have proved that the potential benefits of Great Hotels Academy training can be enormous for our member hotels, both in terms of profits and competitiveness. It contains critical information and knowledge about hotel’s
e-distribution strategies and revenue management.
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