Hotels poach top talent for 2012 London Olympics due to skills shortages and staff retention problems

Hotel staff are being poached by competitors to secure talent in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games, a leading human resources chief has warned.

The Jumeirah Hotel group fears ongoing skills shortages and problems with retaining staff will stand in the way of offering a first-class service to customers at the games.

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Ann Whelan, director of HR for the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Lowndes Hotel, told Personnel Today: “The concern is resources – being able to attract and retain the right people. We are a target for staff to be poached they go through training with us, then get approached [by other hotels], so move on.”

More than 100,000 people will make up the 2012 Olympics workforce, according to hospitality sector skills council People 1st, with 27,000 of those working in hospitality.Only last month, People 1st chief executive Brian Wisdom warned a “significant shift” is needed in the quality of customer service delivered in the run-up to 2012.