Best practice selection on upskilling and reskilling from Italy: Hotel Principe di Savoia

The Hotel Principe di Savoia, known more simply as Principe, is a historic Milanese hotel. When the hotel first opened as ‘Principe e Savoia’ in 1927, its chosen square was on the outskirts of the ‘heart’ of Milan, but the location near to Stazione Centrale made it perfectly positioned for burgeoning business tycoons of the era. The hotel’s central location is within easy walking distance of the newly built Porta Nuova district, with its breathtaking architecture, and the art-loving Brera district’s bustling galleries and art studios. In 2003 the hotel was acquired by the Dorchester Collection, a London-based company wholly owned by the Brunei Investment Agency.

Key principles

The management of the hotel embraced the brand philosophy: “Together we work as a talented community with a shared passion and commitment to each other and our loyal guests. We do this against a backdrop of exceptional hotels, steeped in history, glamour and stories, which provide the perfect stage for our equally exceptional people”. “Together we work as a talented community”

Examples and case studies

In a historical moment in which human resources are one of the major critical issues in hospitality, for the General Manager of the ‘Principe’ of Milan the priority does not change, he declared that a motivated and valuable team is the winning weapon in the hotel. And above all he is a manager who has clear ideas about how the management of a high-end structure should be: “The one who manages a complex machine, such as the hotel, is a team to be ‘trained’ and guided in the right way. I have always tried to create a team of motivated and valuable people around me, with whom I can work in the same direction to achieve the objectives of the hotel and the company. If the staff is motivated, the results come automatically and customers perceive it immediately.”

Potential pitfalls and challenges

The general manager explained how he is managing the current challenge staffing complexity. The Dorchester philosophy is centred on the development of people and we invest significantly along the entire human resources flow: first for selection and then for management and training. The general manager said that “We try to give everyone the opportunity to grow, both in the same structure and by moving to others in the group. Face-to-face management of resources is the crucial element of our luxury hospitality recipe: motivated staff, satisfied guests, increasing turnover. Behind this vision there is a great effort for training and work in the field. A path that becomes simpler when, as happens here, there is an important corporate structure dedicated to HR and there is the know-how of the management who knows how to carry out this modus operandi. Our staff have the opportunity to take up to 13 ‘learning’ courses which allow them to go up a step each time and improve their skills and career. Workflow monitoring is also part of this complex system to understand if people are suitable for what they do and if they are happy doing it. Their satisfaction is the first step in our path to success: they are the first interface that the guest must find satisfying”.

For the issue of training and satisfaction of human resources, being in a large group is crucial. In fact, not only does the company develop plans for the various structures, but it also develops an internal academy, in London, created to build unique skills in people to be exploited to create luxury hospitality. It is an elite school, so much so that it also runs workforce training programs for external companies, from airlines to service companies, from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia. Having a large hotel company behind you is crucial because it has an industrial strength that small family structures, which are still the prevailing Italian model, cannot have. The latter, despite being ‘jewel’ hotels in terms of history and location, remain at a standstill in terms of the quality of training and selection of staff. The hotel management makes sure to have well-trained, courteous, detail-oriented staff. One of the keys of luxury hospitality is the exceptional service, as well as offering personalised service, anticipating customer needs and exceeding their expectations, being helpful, professional and responding promptly to customer inquiries. Every detail should be taken care of to create a luxurious experience. To stand out from the competition, offer exclusive and unique services. These may include luxury spa treatments, personalised concierge services, fine dining experiences or access to exclusive services and facilities. Try to create a service package that meets the needs and desires of the most demanding customers.

Benefits and outcomes

The hotel was thus able to achieve employer branding, i.e. building a good reputation as an employer capable of attracting qualified candidates. The hotel makes sure that they offer competitive working conditions and compensation packages, promote a positive work environment and offer opportunities for professional development and growth. Furthermore, leverage communication and marketing channels to promote the company’s image as a desirable employer in the tourism sector.

Measuring success

Thanks to the investment in human capital they are able to reply to luxury hotel guest requests. The hotel management has made sure to have a well-trained, courteous and detail-oriented staff. One of the keys to luxury hospitality is exceptional service, as well as offering personalised service, anticipating customers’ needs and exceeding their expectations, being helpful, professional and responding promptly to customer requests. Every detail has been taken care of to create a luxurious experience. To stand out from the competition, the hotel offers exclusive and unique services, trying to create a service package that meets the needs and desires of the most demanding customers.

Hospitality in this hotel is a set of complex elements that must be mixed and taken care of in the best possible way to allow each guest to be completely satisfied with their stay. All these factors must be not only at the top but also homogeneous with each other to provide a maximum level of service in all different areas: in-room reception, sleeping style, concierge, f&b, events, experiences, sociality. Today on the market it is not enough to offer a tradition of luxury hospitality and the hotel ensures that this living experience is also revisited from the perspective of the contemporary taste of the customer. For the customer who arrives, the atmosphere must always be the same, while in terms of offer and solutions it must be constantly renewed and brought towards the current taste.

A further plus that responds to today’s post-pandemic taste for being outdoors, and which has allowed us to improve our offer for MICE and social events, creating a ‘hybrid space that can be exploited externally at the same time and internally, being able to give event organisers an increasingly wider range of possibilities. So much so that this revenue sector has grown a lot in the last period and today it has come to account for 50% of the entire catering turnover. From an economic point of view, this is an excellent value that allows us to achieve growth in turnover.

References and external resources

The website can be visited here