Talents hold the key to success

Mr Tan Beng Huat joined the Ritz-Carlton Hotel as a housekeeping attendant when he was 61 years old. Now at age 72, he continues to be proactive, energetic and is regularly complimented by hotel guests for his "magical touch" and good service. For his dedication and contributions, he was recognised as Ritz-Carlton's 5-star Employee of the Quarter, and as a May Day Model Worker 2007.

Indeed, in the service-oriented hospitality sector, having a competent pool of staff with the right aptitude and service mindset is paramount to ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. Recognising this, hoteliers such as Royal Plaza on Scotts are stepping up their efforts to ensure they retain and attract the best talent.

Mr Patrick Fiat, General Manager of Royal Plaza on Scotts, shared that his hotel recognised the need to re-look their human resources practices to attract manpower and hence initiated a new scheme in March 2008.

The hotel launched a tripartite initiative, working with Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), and National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) to launch its first career open house with Minister of State for Health and Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC, Mr Heng Chee How as the Guest-of-Honour.

With more than 40 vacancies in departments such as Food & Beverage, Housekeeping and Engineering, the Royal Plaza knows it needs all the help it can get to fill those posts.

It was also the first to leverage on government initiatives and incentive programmes such as Flexi-Works!, launched by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and WDA to encourage flexibility within the work environment.

"I am glad that Royal Plaza on Scotts is tapping onto Flexi-Works! to help address its manpower needs. In today's tight labour market, effective organisations have to actively raise productivity and creatively tap all sources of local manpower, be they school-leavers, people changing jobs, back-to-work women or re-employed older workers.

"What Royal Plaza on Scotts is doing can be a reference point for others in the hospitality industry," said Mr Heng during the open house.

Flexible Work Arrangements the answer to draw new employees

Mr Koh Juan Kiat, Executive Director of SNEF, noted that "Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) is a highly recommended work option which fits into Singapore's changing employment landscape and vibrant economic development."

In addressing the high turnover rate in service industry, FWA may also prove to play a crucial role. "FWA is an important recognition of the difficulties many employees faced in balancing their family obligations and their work duties and can make a company more attractive to prospective employees," added Mr Koh.

Supplementary work benefits will be incorporated into the flexible work arrangements and include perks like annual leave which is pro-rated to the part-timers' tenure of service, medical as well as childcare leave. The permanent part-timers will also be entitled to marriage leave, compassionate leave, maternity and paternity leave and dental allowances.

Being different makes the difference at The Scarlet

At The Scarlet, which bagged Best Accommodation Experience - Superior, General Manager, Mr Fong Kah Seng, is banking on the very ingredient that makes the hotel different from the rest to retain employees.

As he sees it, The Scarlet, a hotel "created for the fashionistas, mavericks and trendy to enjoy sensual accommodation and dining experiences", offers a working environment that is different from other hotels.

"Staff retention has always been our priority as our selection process for The Scarlet is most rigorous and only employees with flair and the right attitude are employed.

"The Scarlet offers an exciting working environment where they are encouraged to think out of the box. Our staff are exciting individuals with a yearning to create memorable and personalised services. They are treated with respect and we are always on the look-out to groom them for positions of higher responsibilities and job scopes.

"Bestowed with a small and enthusiastic team, we can offer immediate and intimate attention to their needs and aspirations. They are a motivated team and staff retention has not been a concern for us."

Mr Fong believes that more boutique hotels opening in Singapore is a sign that travellers are looking for eclectic experiences and personalised service offerings. They are no longer contented "with cookie-cutter corporate hotels with indistinguishable product offerings", he said.

"With more boutique hotels coming up in the near future, it puts Singapore in an enviable position with an array of accommodation choices for today's discerning travellers."

Last year, The Scarlet achieved an average occupancy rate of 90% at an average room rate of more than S$200.

Said Mr Fong: "There are opportunities for Singapore to foster and encourage the development of hotels with personality, with a melting pot of cross-local ethnicities and global cultures, in service and form. Thematic hotels relating to our rich heritage, cohesive community and exciting attractions can be a potential draw on the international scene."