Introduction
Nowadays the range of luxury hotels around the globe is very big. There are different types of luxury hotels and most of them have their own coverage, strategies and missions. Competition among these varieties of hotels is huge nowadays. Your competition is based not on prices or percentage of discount rates but it is dependant on values, exclusivity, atmosphere and quality of service. One of these opponents is world known, luxury brand Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts. However Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts managed to differentiate them from all the competitors in the Hotel Industry. In Four Seasons, management has a huge value of their employees, because they know that the power of service is within human resources. Human being Recourse Management in Four Months Hotels and Resorts definitely takes on very important role for providing success of the company and delivering premises to their employees and customers. The next research provides readers with full picture of Human being Resource Management Insurance plan of Four Months hotels and Resorts. Also additional recommendations and comments are given in order to clarify the insurance policy and quest of Human Learning resource Management. The study includes five important questions about HRM. Answers for these questions can be used as tools to improve the human resource coverage of Four Months Hotels and Resorts. As for readers the research will help them to comprehend the worthiness and quest of Human Source of information Management in Hospitality Industry.
Introduce the business and its positions in the Hospitality Industry. Could it be an employer of preference?
"Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts" Company was founded in 1960 by Isadore Sharp and located as luxury hotel string. The first hotel was exposed in 1961 in the downtown section of Toronto, Canada. Isadore Clear started a fresh kind of luxury hotels by rendering it personalized, caring for each customer and offering an excellent service for his or her guests. For cash Sharp included his brother-in-law, Eddie Creed and his good friend, Maurry Koffler. Each of them added to the task. From 1970 till 1976 there were exposed several Four season Hotels and resorts in London, Ontario and Bahamas. In 1976 Four Periods hotels and Resorts grew and made a decision to expand in THE UNITED STATES. So in 1976 they inserted the US market in San-Francisco. So in 1977, Isadore Clear along with Creed and Korrler made a decision to convert Four Times Hotels and Resorts into private company. Four Times has created a fresh area of interest in luxurious portion of Hospitality Industry, thus provided themselves with a great chance to expand. In 1986 the company went public, by being presented on currency markets, but in 2007 it became private company again. By 1991 the company experienced around 36 hotels across the world and around 13 sales and corporate office buildings. However Four Times faced with some financial issues and was rescued by trader from Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Prince Al-Waleed. In 1994 he purchased twenty five percent of Four Seasons' shares and spent around C$100 million. After investing by Saudi Prince, the Four Periods prolonged their expiation and exposed new properties in Singapore, Mexico City, Berlin and Prague. In mid-nineties, entire hotel industry encountered a downturn. Because of this Four Months Hotels and Resorts turned to managing style somewhat owning hotels because it was a lot more profitable in the long run. (Four Months Hotels Inc's HR Practice. , 2009). Nowadays Four Times Hotels and Resorts has 84 properties across the world with exclusive service and very clear company's culture. Nowadays Four Months Hotels and Resorts has several rivals in Hospitality Industry. These are Fairmont Hotels, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Positions of Four Months Hotels and Resorts are very strong now. Despite on financial problems they faced in 1994, Four Conditions were able to stabilize and continue growing in hospitality industry. Four Times continues to have significantly more of its hotels selected as AAA Five Diamonds properties than other hotel company and it has the most Mobil Five Star awards on the market. The business is also consistently highly placed in readers' research in magazines such as Conde Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure, Institutional Entrepreneur, Andrew Harper's Hideaway Article and the Zagat Review. (Hospitalitynet, 2010).
First of most, the writer wish to give the meaning of term "Workplace of choice". "Any company of any size in the public, private, or not-for-profit sector that draws in, optimize and keeps top skill for long tenure, because the employees choose to be there". (Herman and Gioia, 2002, p. xi). Unique service is a distinctive feature of Four Times Hotels and Resorts. But in order to make the service unique because of their guests, the company pays attention to their employees. Four times Management groups do value their employees and treat them as guests, also with uniqueness. As you of employees said: "You're never threated like just and employee. You are a visitor. " (Four Conditions Hotels Inc's HR Practice. , 2009). This is the one and the main reason Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts became an Company of choice. The business is recognized by many popular mags as an Workplace of Choice. For instance, since 1998 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts are among 100 "The best Companies to Work for", by Fortune Magazine. In 2009 2009 Four Times Hotels and Resorts Company was awarded "The very best Office" by Great Place to Work Institute Canada. Later in '09 2009 the Company was honored "Lifetime Commitment Prize" by National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH). Additionally they were given "Inductee to Canada's 10 Most Respected Corporate Civilizations" Hall of Fame 2010. Also Four Months Hotels and Resorts pay a lot of attention to trainings and development programs, thus this year 2010 the business was outlined in "Training top 125" by Training Publication. (FourSeason, 2010). As Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts in an international company and has many hotels all over the world, some of Four Conditions' properties were also acknowledged by leading tourism and hospitality publications. For example Four Months Hotels in the United Kingdom were "The Best spot to Work in Hospitality" in 2008; Four Conditions Hotel Dublin received Business Prize Status, based on the Hotel's guidelines in "Recruitment and Selection" and "Learning, Development and Development"; in 2008 Four Months Hotel Prague was granted as "Company of the Year 2008". This honor is directed at the firms who supporting the work of hearing-challenged individuals. (FourSeason, 2010). Each one of these awards and recognitions are the key signal of Four Periods Hotels and Resorts culture and a result of well-organized corporate and business environment.
Explain its culture, its unique to the business, how exactly does this vary from its major competitors.
Four Months Hotels and resorts has their own and unique service culture. The culture is mainly predicated on "Golden Guideline" by Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts. The viewpoint of "Golden Guideline" is simple and clear. As the CEO of Four Times Hotels and Resorts, Isadore Shard described it: "The Golden Guideline - do unto others, as you would have them to do unto you" (Four Times Hotels Inc's HR Practice. , 2009). Corresponding to Mr. Clear definition it is very important to take care of everyone: guests, colleagues and lovers as you would want them to treat you. Within Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts the "Golden Rule" put on every person in the business and no matter whether you are director or front collection worker. What Four Seasons calls its unique service culture is based on a series of insights and values about the individual who provides the function of service, and the one who will get it. In writer's thoughts and opinions, the "Golden Rule" makes the uniqueness and creating an extremely positive atmosphere within all company and everything properties surrounding the world. The system below represents the formation of the culture. (Scheme 1)
Scheme 1
As readers can see from the Scheme 1 there are several steps resulting in the organizational culture. The first step is "Philosophy of company's founder. " Since it was mentioned above Mr. sharp has his own idea of service and company's culture which is based on making the service exclusive and tailored. By implementing his own view of the service into Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts Company's composition, Isadore Sharp has generated absolutely new type of culture not limited to his personal need also for whole the business. The next step is "Selection Criteria", which is dependant on recruiting and collection of candidates. As we realize from the case-study of Four Months Hotels Inc. , each potential candidate for any position in four periods Hotels and Resorts possessed to pass through five interviews and the final one was with the General Supervisor of the Hotel. In the example above readers can see that selection process in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is very difficult. This means that the business needs the best employees from the best. The selection process is vital for the business, because professionals look for really professionalized persons or persons who have potential to learn and also to be trained. The thing is that Four Periods Hotels and Resorts predicated on personal service, that's why they have such complicated selection process. The next steps of examining Four Months' culture are "Top Management" and "Socialization". Top Management takes on very important role in building company's culture. As readers can see, in Four Times Hotels and Resorts Company, older executives help to build behavioral standards that can be adopted by the business. Socialization is an activity which helps new employees to adopt into company's culture and use skills and advantages used, by causing service in Four Times Hotels and Resorts personalized. Furthermore the Socialization step can be sectioned off into several stages like Pre-arrival level, Encounter level and Metamorphosis stage. All these levels directly helps along the way of creating the culture of Four Times Hotels and Resorts.
In writer's thoughts and opinions, Four Conditions' company culture is a lot differentiated form its main challengers. For example, the business's culture of Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts is dependant on "Gold Standards" of the company. "Gold Expectations" contain six parts which includes the credo, the motto of the business, the three steps of service, service prices, the 6th diamonds and the staff promises. (Silver Benchmarks of Ritz-Carlton, 2010). As though follows, Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton cultures are centered on making the service they provide more personalized, but in addition Four Conditions hotels and Resorts are focused on their employees. As a result, visitors can make a realization that in Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts, the culture is really as guests focused as employees focused. To show this affirmation, the writer would like to present a word retained in the case-study: "Loyalty to friends is important, but employees come first. " (Four Conditions Hotels Inc's HR Practice. , 2009). Among the main Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts' variations from major rivals is that the business is more employees focused rather others in Hospitality industry. As a result it attracts more and more employees to become listed on Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts.
Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts haves their own perspective, mission and principles which can be behead on "Golden Guideline". From HRM perspective, it straight into company's values, eye-sight and mission. From the strategic character of HRM in Four Times Hotels and Resorts, they deal with day-to-day issues, but it is also proactive in mother nature and integrated with other management functions. Furthermore HRM makes more clarified strategic view of human reference in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. In the recruitment point of view, human tool management makes superior recruitment for everyone employees. In addition they have strong inside labour market for core employees. (Henderson, 2008). Among the main worth of Four Times hotels and Resorts is empowerment. HRM is in charge of providing this feature to employees' eyesight. Empowerment is management responsibility of showing information, rewards, and electric power with employees so that they can take personal effort and make decisions to solve issues and problems of the friends and improve service quality and performance of the company. It is based concept of offering employees the abilities, resources, power, opportunity, determination, as well giving them responsibilities with their actions. (BusinessDictionary, 2010). In Four Conditions Hotels and Resorts management pay a lot of attention to empowerment since it helps to improve the degree of service and it also makes employees being more dependable and very important to the company. That's why in all Four Periods' properties employees can action and take decisions individually. It means that for individuals recourse management, employees' satisfaction is vital as friends' satisfaction. Predicated on this writer can definitely say that Man Resource Management make big contribution into company's eyesight, value and mission. In Human Source Management, trainings play also an important role in employees' development and success. For Four Times Hotels and Resorts, trainings are transformed into learning and development philosophy transcending job-related training programs. The benefit of trainings in Four Conditions is that trainings were created foal all levels of employees including non-management. In addition trainings are designed to develop command and personal skills. For example Four Months Hotels and Resorts has a special program made for graduates of hotel classes. Applying to Supervisor In Training Programs (MIT) is intended that candidates gets the attitude to be trained, accept "Golden Rule" and efficiently apply it in their job. (Director In Training Programms, 2010).
In order to boost HRM insurance plan of Four Conditions Hotels and Holiday resort the writer would suggest several making it more well balanced between guest focused insurance policy and employees oriented policy. Four Times want to balance both of these subjects, but it appears that they are a little confused about any of it. The solution of this concern is to provide more benefits because of their employees. To begin with it would raise the flow of trained persons who have capacity to be learnt. From the other hand it would inspire employees to increase their level of education, to use for mote training programs to be able to get profession development in the foreseeable future. The third good thing about increasing employees' benefits is that would change and immediately review the policy of the Four Months Hotels and Resorts thus make it more employees oriented. But also for the other hands the company must not forget about their main goals - individualized service for each customer. That is why Four Times Hotels and Resorts make their employees empowered. The HRM insurance policy of the company is also based on forwarding employees to the correct way, just how of "Golden Rule". They don't really do anything special, but their work is not easy, because Human Reference Team is the first who faced with employees' challenges and in addition they need to bring the ideas and principles of "Golden Guidelines" into employees' thoughts, in order to reach company's goals which derive from exclusive and personalized service in every Four months Hotels and Resorts.
Does it have effective policies and strategies in HRM? Critically evaluate the ones you have revealed.
As readers can easily see from cases above, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have very specific HRM coverage. The thing is that in Four Months Hotels and Resorts Human Resource Management is based on standards, nevertheless they don't have tons of rules. As they prefer personalized customer support they do empower their employees, so they can act in any situations. This allows employees to have actions also to feel free to answer all customers' needs. As in every situations, there is a threat of making incorrect decision. The employee will be accountable for this, however in all cases the company can lose their customer which will affect the company as a whole. As Human Resource policy in Four Conditions Hotels and resorts is more company's idea orientated the staff turnover is just a half compared with the complete industry. Four Periods created their own topic in the hospitality industry. Nowadays Four Seasons Hotels and resort has several main competition. From HRM point of view, employees' benefits are one of the most attractive parts for folks who are thinking about joining company. The word "employees' benefits" is common for many industries. Staff benefits are all benefits and services, other from wages for time worked, that are given to employees in whole or partly by their employers. (Description of Employee benefits, 2010). Below, the researcher shown the stand of benefits, which presents the whole picture of benefits plan of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and its main competitor Ritz-Carlton. The desk will help visitors to investigate and examine employee great things about two main competitors in luxury mid-size hotel specific niche market. In addition both competition use management deals model of managing properties. That is very good decision. The thing is that there are several recent instances that show that franchising method of managing properties doesn't work in a proper way nowadays.
Development of employees' commitment or loyalty immediately depends on job conditions provided by workplace. That is why providing basic benefits in necessary for big companied like Four Times Hotels and Resorts. But in order to appeal to more employees whey included more benefits in basic conditions. Definitely this step would affect the move of employees and would increase motivation, that may positive effect the company.
Table 1
Benefits
Hotel Brands
Four Months Hotels and Resorts
Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts
Career development opportunities
Career progress/promotions opportunities
Unique profound culture
Discounts on spa treatments
Best-in Industry training
Childcare discounts
Luxury environment in amazing locations world wide
Tuition reimbursement
Profit sharing / incentive bonus offer / competitive salaries
Income alternative programs (both brief and long-term disability)
Complimentary stays on at Four Seasons properties with marked down meals
Discounted accommodation in every Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts
Paid getaways / vacation
Paid vacation, sick and tired and holiday break leave
Educational assistance
Health and wellbeing insurance programs
Dental and medical / impairment / life insurance
Life/health/dental/vision insurance
Retirement benefits / pension
Retirement personal savings and profit posting plans
Employee service awards
Healthcare and reliant treatment spending accounts
Annual employee get together / communal and sporting events
Service anniversary awards
Complimentary meals in dedicated worker restaurants
Complimentary or low priced dishes in your Worker Dining Room
(Four Conditions Benefits, 2010), (Ritz-Carlton: Understand Benefits, 2010)
After careful contrast of both employees' benefits, visitors can define several variations, which directly effect the loyalty of employees. To make HRM insurance plan more reliable, writer indicate to enlarge number of benefits. In addition increasing different incentives for line-staff employees would also positive effect Human Resource plan of Four Periods Hotels and Resorts.
If you were the VP of HRM how would you move the business forward in the next five years?
Four Periods Hotels and Resorts is very developed luxury hotel chain.
