Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 28, 2016 (SKNIS): As the management of the soon to be opened Park Hyatt St. Kitts continues to pay keen attention to education, the management team is currently holding Hospitality Introductory Training sessions for hospitality students attending the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) and persons involved in the hospitality section of the People Employment Programme (PEP).
The education and information sessions, which are taking place at the CFBC, will give persons who are not familiar with the hotel industry a better understanding of some of the elements to be encountered within the industry.
Julian Moore, General Manager of the Park Hyatt St. Kitts, said that persons are often intimidated by well-known hotels and many question if they are suited to work there. Mr. Moore said that everyone has the ability to work in such an industry.
“The beauty of hospitality in the modern world is that everyone is good enough,” said Mr. Moore. “It’s about the sincerity of the individual; it’s about the passion of the individual and it’s about the ability to interact and to communicate with others and I think if we can actually find those people who have those inbuilt skills, those who were born with them, you can utilize them in the best fashion possible that make them happy and then obviously it flows onto making the guest experience unique and that’s something truly special.”
The general manager said that the hospitality industry is diverse and allows for many career directions. He said that the sessions open doors for persons to choose their future career.
“So, the main thing is to get the door open so that people can see inside and once they can see inside they can choose the best pathway that is suited for their own individual personality,” he said.
Mr. Moore said that bringing a luxury brand to the country provides an opportunity to further develop the hotel industry and to offer new opportunities not just for hospitality but all associated businesses. He also stressed the importance of educating persons about the luxury brand.
“One of the beauties of our business is that we need suppliers; we need people who are ready to take that step up and say we want to elevate the quality that we provide and deliver to a luxury level,” he said. “To do that, there needs to be understanding and obviously to get understanding, you need education. So obviously, the best platform you can ever enter into is a relationship with the educational facilities of the island and the education institutions.”
The general manager said that this step in education would hopefully lead to another long term relationship with CFBC and would also provide an opportunity for the hotel to assist with other educational needs on the island as they relate to the hotel industry.
Some areas touched during the sessions include hospitality, food and beverage and housekeeping.
Persons were able to interact with executives of these fields to gain first-hand knowledge of career opportunities.