In hospitality, it’s a different story

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Friday , March 14, 2008 at 2203 hrs Marriott International Inc, a leading lodging company with approximately 151,000 employees worldwide, has been ranked as one of the best companies to work for by Fortune magazine. A Best Employer in India 2007 Award from Hewitt and an HR Excellence Award from CII are among the many honours Mariott has won over the years. With this article, the last in a series on HR practices of some of the world’s best employers, FE takes a look at what Marriot International intends to accomplish in India and the challenges it faces.

J Willard Marriott once said, “When you take good care of your people, they’ll take pride in their work. And when they take pride in their work, they’ll take good care of the customers and if you take good care of the customers, the customers will come back and back and back. And the business will take care of itself.”

These words have remained a leitmotif for Marriott International that has about 3,000 lodging properties in the US and 67 in other countries. The company operates and franchises hotels under brand names Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari.

Says Gurmeet Singh, area director-human resources, India, Maldives and Pakistan, Marriott Int’l Inc, “The human resources practices in Marriott revolve around associate engagement and these engagements are divided into four broad categories that include talent acquisition, performance development, total compensation and work environment.”

According to experts, the human resources practice in the hospitality sector is different compared with other industries. More than 50% of the staff serve guests and customers. Hence, it’s a challenge to maintain balance between the needs of employees and HR initiatives.

With about 3,500 associates in the country, Marriott India plans to have 10 more hotels by 2010. The focus is on developing the skills of the associates and training them for key management positions.