Armchairs made with balloons and coping with a day from hell in hospitality were all part of the activities at an assessment centre to identify the managers of the future at the Crowne Plaza Newcastle- Stephenson Quarter hotel in Newcastle.
The activities were designed to put existing staff who are recognised as ‘rising stars’ through their paces as they competed for a place on the hotel’s new in-house training programme, aimed at preparing them for a future career in senior positions within the business.
Five were selected after demonstrating leadership skills through activities such as building an armchair with balloons that would take the weight of a person, coping with ‘a day from hell’ in hotel operations scenario, individual presentations on their approach to improving service delivery, and an interview.
Jane Klotz, HR manager at Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter, said: “We’re committed to investing in staff development and ensuring that exciting career opportunities are available to everyone who comes to work here.
“Since opening last year, we’ve built a great team of which many have excelled in their roles. We created the management training programme to offer a clear progression route for staff, while also retaining the skills and knowledge that has developed across the business.
“To make sure a high level of customer service is consistently delivered, having the most talented hospitality professionals to lead our teams is vital. We designed the selection process to help us identify people who already are or have potential to become strong leaders, while also having a solid understanding of what it takes to provide our visitors with an experience they won’t forget; for all the right reasons.”
The new trainees will now undertake bespoke training and spend time working across all areas of the hotel. They will also study towards a nationally-recognised Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Leadership awarded by the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality.
Andrew Fox, general manager at Crowne Plaza Newcastle-Stephenson Quarter, added: “The hotel has been open less than a year but already we’re consistently number one in the UK and in the top 5 in Europe for customer service out of the 82 Crowne Plaza hotels in the Intercontinental Hotels Group.
“Investing in a programme to help develop our managers of the future will keep us on track to maintain this success into our second year and I’m looking forward to working with our rising stars as they progress through their training.”
Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter has grown its workforce to employ 165 people since opening in September 2016.