What does your role involve?
I am responsible for the training and development of the customer sales centre team members at each of the 33 hotels in the company’s portfolio. We aim to sup-port the individual hotels in making strate-gic decisions on maximising revenue.
What is your current major training project or strategic push?
We are evaluating the performance of our customer sales centres, based on our company policy and procedures. We want to ensure team members are benefiting, ultimately making the booking experience more efficient for our guests. To further enhance the teams, we are also imple-menting a series of training courses.
What impact would you like to have on your organisation?
I hope that I bring my extensive revenue and training expertise to help develop the hotel teams to the benefit of the business.
Which of your qualifications do you most value and why?
I achieved a Group Training Qualification which enables me to ensure that on the courses I deliver, the delegates increase their knowledge and understanding.
What is the greatest challenge facing the training profession?
Keeping the interest of the delegates while developing an ability to adapt your training style to each individual’s needs.
What do you think will be the core skills for your job in the future?
Ensuring that I am open to change while embracing future developments with the revenue and training environment.
How will your job have changed in five years’ time?
Systems will have evolved, such as central pricing. Centralised reservation processing will become the norm. The focus will be on new ways of developing revenue streams and we will support a reduced specialised group of individuals.
Can you remember the best training session you attended?
An impact and influence course run by Cole & McKee, which I attended when I worked for the Intercontinental Hotels Group. It helped me and a colleague to realise why we clashed, which subsequently enabled us to fully understand how we needed to change our styles in particular situations.
How do you get the best from people?
Coaching and supporting – having established their needs – with a lot of humour, to ensure they feel at ease and relaxed to absorb all I have to impart.
What is the essential tool in your job?
My sense of humour.
Who in public life do you most admire or find most inspiring?
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Martina Navratilova. I admire her for all she has achieved and for how she has changed the face of tennis.
Describe your dream job
Teaching horse riders to achieve the highest accolade in three-day eventing. This would allow me to see the development of the individual while working with one of the most fascinating and loving animals in the world.
