Training Articles (formerly Member Blog)

It was an accident, I swear. I didn’t mean, at my very first CHART conference, to volunteer presenting a breakout session. My shameful confession is that I was simply trying to get a free lunch.

Recently, after mentioning our upcoming CHART conference in Miami, a friend of mine surprised me with a question. “Why do you still attend those CHART conferences?” he asked.

The idea of getting a professional certification terrified me initially. What if I don't pass? How embarrassing! Will that mean I'm not good enough for my job? Last spring I reached out to a couple of mentors (those whom already held the title, CHT), and was comforted in knowing the confidence they had in the program. At the beginning of the process, I thought having the three letters behind my name would confirm all of my hard work despite not having a degree in hospitality. I could finally hold a title that gave me some street credibility in the training world.

As hospitality trainers, we are often called upon to work with new employees in our company’s restaurant and hotels. It becomes our responsibility to take these folks from “newbie” status and transform them into productive staffers who can make strong connections with our guests and positively contribute to the bottom line of the organization.

The National Restaurant Association show will be held in Chicago from May 18-21 this year, and as usual, tens of thousands of people will show up hoping to learn what the future holds for the hospitality industry. The booths in McCormick Place will be buzzing with conversations between the many different vendors and all kinds of restaurant personnel: owners, executives, chefs, managers, employees, and hopefully, a lot of trainers as well.

I am back, rested and ready to implement new learning from CHART’s 85th Hospitality Training Conference. This year was extra special as it was the launch of a new learning platform called T3 which is competency based training with four tracks of learning for trainers, training managers, instructional designers and training executives. I enjoyed connecting with those who attended (and for those I missed, hope to see you soon).

My recent article in Hotel Management magazine details how an orientation program can help create brand loyalty from the start

At a recent business forum I attended here in Seattle, one which involved trainers from a variety of industries, we started a discussion at my table about the vast number of resources and reference guides that are available for people who work in Training & Development.

In the January FlipCHART, CHART President John Kelley talks about reaching our 2013 goals together. Share your thoughts, resolutions, goals and tips here!

The Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers was founded in 1970 with four guiding principles (Learning, Sharing, Growing, and Caring) that really make us unique in the business world. Anyone who has spent time on our website, at a Regional Forum, or at a CHART conference will probably agree that we stand apart from other professional organizations because of our openness, our lifelong connections, and the importance we place on taking care of one another. The stronger we make each other, the stronger that the hospitality industry becomes – and that truly benefits us all.

Christine Andrews of Hostmark authored the CHART Training Trends column in a recent Hotel Management issue. Read on to find out how to implement such a culture and develop a program with tangible, sustainable practices

Why should you attend CHART’s 85th CHART Conference in San Diego in February? Perhaps you are considering it because of the incredible networking opportunities with other hospitality trainers that can only be found at a CHART event. Maybe it’s because you want to hear our amazing general session speakers. Or perhaps you live somewhere cold and snowy and the thought of a few days in Southern California in the wintertime is too good to pass up.