Discover how London EDITION, one of London’s most prestigious 5-star hotels, recruits and retains talent

Retaining top talent in London

In this first part of our look at the hotel, we catch up with Elsie Koopman and Jose Ruiz from the London EDITION’s Human Resources department to find out about the hotel’s culture and the challenges they face recruiting, developing and retaining top talent in the heart of the city.

Jose Ruiz says “the biggest challenges we face aren’t necessarily from other hospitality companies, they’re from other sectors.

Law firms, agencies, corporates are all attracting people who might otherwise choose to work in restaurants and hotels. The offering is very appealing to them. Whether it’s because of pay or better hours, we’ve found that the talent we would usually meet are going elsewhere.”

Elsie Koopman agrees, “we go to a lot of schools and universities to tell young people who are starting out about the hospitality industry and maybe consider a career with us.

A few years ago, it would only be hospitality companies doing this; now it’s all changed. Now, it’s a whole group of recruiters trying to attract from the same pool. It’s become a lot tougher.”

How does the industry change perceptions?

“That’s the ultimate question,” Jose said. “If I knew the answer, I’d package it and sell it. I think in hospitality, we can be our own worst enemies. Over the years I’ve heard the same thing again and again; low pay, long hours, and we don’t do anything to change that view.

A waiter in this country can make a very good wage, comparable with a para-legal or a newly qualified solicitor. You can now manage your own hours to suit you and you can work your way up, quickly to a supervisory role. It can be done, we just need to tell people that all these things are possible.”

It is all about culture

“Culture is very important to us, said Elsie. We started as a brand five years ago and our culture was created with that but has grown organically over time. No matter which EDITION you visit, you’ll still find that core ethos.

Our employees live and breathe it. It’s part of our recruitment strategy, part of our engagement strategy and we want to hire candidates who share our values because this is what makes EDITION both successful and such a great place to work.

Edition is one of the few places I’ve worked where culture is the filter of all that happens, Jose said. We want people who can provide gracious, sophisticated service. We blend luxury and lifestyle. It’s a fine line and we want people who are able to tread that line confidently.

If we go too much on the luxury element, we can alienate those guests who want to move away from the “traditional luxury”. Likewise, if we lean too heavily on lifestyle, we can lose those who seek excellence and a curated experience. I feel we deliver on this and the team we employ understands that and that’s why they enjoy working with us.”

Spreading the word reaches top talent

One of London EDITION biggest recruitment methods is word of mouth. Elsie explained that people enjoy working there and tell their friends. The HR team also visit hotel schools and sell the culture of EDITION. “It is unique and we’re looking for those unique individuals to join us. Our recruitment is very much driven by personality. Cultural fit trumps everything. We’re trying to find that ‘pink unicorn’, so sometimes recruitment can take a bit longer.

We may shortlist seven or eight applicants for a role, look at them and say, ‘can they do the job? Yes. Do they match against the job criteria? Yes. But something is missing, something does not quite fit. Often, this is the culture fit. When the right “EDITION” candidate comes along, you just know.

Some people come in for interviews with scripted answers and say what they think we want to hear, Elsie said. We want to know the person. Can you hold a conversation? Can you engage with people naturally? These are things that can’t be easily taught.

All candidates at London EDITION are introduced to the in-house guidance team and the executive team.”

My final interview was with the hotel manager, Elsie said. “From day one, I felt I had a connection with the senior leadership team. It breaks down barriers and makes the hotel a fun place to work.”

Meet some of the talented people at London EDITION

On-boarding involves the guest journey

“Like anywhere, some candidates drop out before on-boarding, said Jose, but that just tells me that they’re not right for us. I would rather keep the position open and keep on searching for the right fit.

London EDITION does it’s best to keep in touch with candidates throughout the hiring process, with regular emails and if the process is taking longer than expected we aim to keep candidates informed.  On-boarding at EDITION is thorough our hotel orientation for new joiners involves a night stay in the hotel,” Elsie said.

“We want them to experience EDITION as a guest would. They have room service, a drink in the bar and we invite them in for breakfast. We then hold a hotel wide induction, also attended by the senior management team where our newcomers learn about the brand and the culture.

When they go off to their own departments, they get an in-depth departmental orientation. We also hold a second day orientation day after 10 days.

New team members are appointed a buddy within their department so that they don’t feel like they’ve been thrown in at the deep-end. Support is crucial, and we have an open- door policy. If they have any questions or concerns, we do our utmost to address these.

There is so much variety in the hospitality environment, that there’s something for everyone, something to fit every personality.” – Jose Ruiz, London EDITION.”

Learning & development

Increasingly, candidates know exactly where they want to be on their career path and they want the tools to get there. More than ever, a great Learning & Development package is essential in not only recruiting talent, but also retaining them.

For those wanting to progress within London EDITION, the hotel has a programme called ‘Essential Skills’.

It’s a nine-month training programme, featuring nine modules and it’s our most successful training course in terms of people who apply and pass but also in the number of people who are promoted through it, Jose Ruiz explained.

It’s the programme that takes people from team-member to a supervisory role. EDITION is about to launch the follow-up to that course, called ‘Lead’.

It’s for people who have completed ‘Essential Skills’ and want to go even further.” There is also another training programme relating to management roles.

It’s a structured program with modules that add complexity as learners increase their knowledge and leadership capability. This means that learners can learn at a pace that is convenient to them.

Building a pipeline of future managers

EDITION is very keen to build a pipeline of managers, in anticipation of further hotel openings, however, as Jose explains the fit must be right.

“We don’t retain people for the sake of numbers. I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing, but we want the best people, people who provide the best guest experience. If we can get somebody to deliver the best work of their life for six months, it so much better then someone who is just cruising” for 18 months.

I recently interviewed somebody who also had an interview with The Dorchester the following day,” Jose recalled. “I told him that I could have offered him the job there and then, but I insisted that he met the team at The Dorchester and experience what they had to offer. He was a perfect fit for us, but it isn’t just about us; it’s about the candidate too.

They have to do what is right for them. If they aren’t completely happy, we won’t be either. We want people to stay with us, but that cultural fit has to be there. He ended up joining EDITION because he felt that it felt more like a home for him.”

Elsie pointed out that it’s the person, not role that defines them at London EDITION.

“We have an in-house artist, who started with us as a cocktail waitress. She didn’t want to do that as a career, but we recognised her talent. She went away and has now come back and is creating beautiful artwork for our guests. Retention can take different forms.”

The London EDITION view toward retention is a refreshing one. Jose explained that the hotel does have restrictions on roles and budget, so it’s team members sometimes leave and gain further experience elsewhere, but often come back to EDITION.

“We encourage this and we always welcome them back with open arms,” said Jose.

Rewards & benefits

“One of the fantastic things about EDITION is our online portal showcasing the benefits available to employees,” Elsie said.

They can choose from discounted theatre tickets, discounts in the high street. As part of the Marriott Group, we have over 6000 hotels worldwide and discounts are available to employees for these.

Depending on your role, we can also offer insurance and medical benefits.”

Berners Street Social

London EDITION also has a big focus on well-being with offers on Yoga classes, meditation classes and gym memberships.

“We have something called the Berners Street Social, which is our social committee, Elsie said. They organise a fun group event every month for employees to enjoy. It might be a boat party on the Thames, a picnic in the park, birthday parties, paintballing, beer pop-ups. They’ve very popular and are all free for employees.”

Planning for the future

2019 is an undiscovered country for the UK hospitality industry. It’s difficult to plan for the unknown, but some employers are getting a sense of what the future may bring.

“I think the world of hospitality, even without Brexit is in a state of flux and change is inevitable, Jose said.

Hotels that have been traditional luxury brands are finding that they need make changes. Luxury is becoming the norm and hotels need to find a niche within that.

That’s why you see so many brands now dipping their toe in the lifestyle arena. There are so many restaurants now too and they are all competing for the same talent.”

Jose feels that there is room for all comers, but again in order to find the right people, that fit must be right.

“When I go to universities and colleges and I meet students, I always tell them, don’t let anyone tell you where you should go, Jose said. Everybody is going to try and sell you what they’re offering. You take what fits around you. Do what’s best for you.”

Jose and Elsie both believe that candidates need to go where they can flourish; there’s no point in trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

“There is so much variety in the hospitality environment, that there’s something for everyone, something to fit every personality.”

Find out more about the fantastic opportunities at London Edition here