The Samuel Hotel: a best practice on equal opportunities, unconscious bias training and promoting gender balance

The Samuel Hotel was established in 2022 as a property of the Dalata Hotel Group, the largest hotel company in Ireland. The hotel provides accommodation services to both business and leisure travellers.

Context

The Samuel is committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment where all employees and guests feel valued. Its diversity strategies include equal opportunities for recruitment and promotions, unconscious bias training, and promoting gender balance in leadership roles. The focus on inclusive strategies stems from the Dalata Hotel Group’s core values of ‘people’ and ‘fairness.’ With a diverse workforce of over 38 nationalities among its 100 employees, the Samuel recognises that adopting inclusivity is essential for team efficiency as well as employee engagement and motivation.

 

Implementation

The Samuel’s diversity strategies begin with an inclusive and fair recruitment process, ensuring that opportunities are open to all. The hotel embeds inclusivity into its daily operations through a range of activities and ongoing training programs. These include regular sessions on EDI, safety, and mental well-being, all aimed at reinforcing a supportive and inclusive workplace culture. The Samuel consistently endorses cultural awareness and engagement through initiatives such as “Nationality Days,” where employees can share insights about their countries. Additionally, the hotel conducts biannual internal surveys to gather staff feedback on potential areas for operational and administrative improvements.

Employees are also encouraged to express their interest in career advancement opportunities. Lastly, Samuel is committed to empowering women in their career advancement within the company, acknowledging the significant representation of females in the hospitality industry.

 

Enabling Factors

One of the key enabling factors for the success of the Samuel is its top-down decision-making approach, which ensures the consistent application of its diversity strategies values across all departments. By uniformly reinforcing its core values across the organisation, the Samuel ensures that managers are guided to make decisions that prioritise fairness and a people-centred approach. Another enabling factor is the hotel’s ongoing EDI training courses such as overcoming unconscious bias and improving cultural awareness in customer service. Lastly, the Samuel tracks and reports data on nationality and gender distribution, helping to ensure a fair representation of diversity.

 

Barriers

A significant constraint is the resistance from individuals who may not fully embrace the organisation’s diversity culture. Additionally, the nature of the hospitality industry presents challenges in implementing effective EDI training. Impact on the Organisation The diverse strengths and perspectives of individuals create a more balanced and effective team dynamic. Additionally, fostering an inclusive environment where cultural differences are valued contributes to employee well-being, which in turn positively impacts guest experiences. When team members feel welcomed and supported, they are more likely to project this with their behaviour.

 

Quotes

‘Diversity is extremely important to positively impact employee satisfaction and delivery of service.’
‘We aim to ensure that all employees feel valued and welcomed through our commitment to a diverse culture.’

 

 

Lessons Learned

A key lesson learned is that the implementation of effective diversity strategies and training requires time and clear communication, particularly as some employees may not be proficient in the local language. Time is necessary to evaluate effective approaches and create a plan to adjust where necessary. Finally, clear communication is essential to ensure a mutual understanding between management and staff about the importance of creating an
inclusive environment.

 

Future Plans

The Samuel will continue to impart training that focuses on diversity and well-being of all stakeholders.

 

Links with UN Sustainable Development Goals