Member Blog

CHART's two annual conferences share the same mission – to elevate the art of hospitality training and to empower trainers to shape the future of the industry. But each of these gatherings has its own unique flavor, offering a tantalizing array of experiences. Discover the differences – and similarities – between CHART's winter and summer conferences.

Understanding what fear really is and how it physically manifests in the body can help hospitality trainers manage and mitigate tense situations to create more positive and effective work environments for their teams and ultimately enhance the guest experience.

The Service Profit Chain describes the interconnectedness of employee satisfaction to guest experience and company success. It's a model I learned early in my career, with roots that date much further back than that, but is it still relevant today? The short answer is YES, but with some necessary adaptations.

This is the time of year when you may be turning your attention to goals and priorities for 2024. As you are building the business case for initiatives you’ll pursue next year, wouldn’t it be easier to share benchmarks of what others are doing? Be sure to leverage your CHART network for insights as you refine your plans.

Aside from the obvious questions you will ask potential technology partners about cost, implementation time, and features, taking the time to dig deeper with vendors on these additional critical areas will ensure you find the strongest technology partner for your organization's needs.

Embracing diverse employees and combating bias is essential for the success of hospitality organizations. Here are some ways you can diversify candidate sourcing, implement inclusive interviewing techniques, and ensure fair selection and onboarding practices to reduce bias in hiring.

Getting new employees trained up and ready faster gets them out onto the floor as soon as possible and allows them to start using what they’ve learned to have an impact on the guest experience right away. In addition to contributing to customer experience, training and onboarding also affect employee satisfaction, retention, and labor costs. These are just a few of the findings from the 2023 Restaurant Operations Report.

While language barriers can seem daunting, they should never prevent talented individuals from accessing training programs and professional growth opportunities. With empathy, adaptability, and the right strategies, training designers and facilitators can ensure English as a Second Language (ESL) participants are set up for success and build inclusive, world-class hospitality teams that tap into the unique value provided by immigrants and non-native speakers.

Michelle Obama shared a story in her memoir, "Becoming," about learning to play piano on an instrument with a chipped MIddle C key. This story made me reflect on how we tackle gaps in learner knowledge and skills in training programs.

We tend to think about our career paths as linear steps toward a goal on a map. But if we shift instead to aligning our personal interests and goals with career growth opportunities rather than specific offices or titles, we become more agile — able to spot and embrace unexpected and non-linear advancement opportunities.

Corban went from turtling at his first CHART conference all the way to conference director for Charlotte in 2024. Along the way, he learned some important lessons about the value of being involved and going "all in."

Human Resources and Training can function perfectly fine within their own bubbles, but more than any other departments in the hospitality world, the results of this dynamic duo’s combined efforts can spur both individual and collective growth among your teams and propel your business toward greater success.