Employees at Homewood Suites by Hilton are taking charge of their own learning opportunities with video iPods.
by Site Staff
August 1, 2007
Employees at Homewood Suites by Hilton are taking charge of their own learning opportunities with video iPods.
The 5,000 to 6,000 employees at all 204 properties in the United States and Canada will be able to reinforce training content using the devices, which were introduced with the residential-style hotel chain’s mobile training program.
The iPods’ portability will allow employees to maximize the use of on-the-job training, as well as coaching and guidance that can be delivered on-demand.
Further, by participating in learning in their actual work environment, employees likely will find the information more practical and easier to apply.
To support this premise, training content is organized into play lists, which strengthens learning retention.
The iPods supplement Homewood Suites’ current learning programs — they promote flexibility and adaptability, which helps the hotel chain update its curriculum on an ongoing, as-needed basis.
Homewood Suites chose to integrate video iPods into its mobile training program because the company determined it would be the best way to introduce different aspects of new food and beverage (F&B) standards.
Dawn Koenig, vice president of hotel performance services, said the learning the iPods provide will be integral to Homewood Suites’ success.
“The Mobile Training video iPod program contains a variety of two-minute modules, highlighting specific brand skills that are both essential and valuable to our employees and their growth,” she said.
The video iPod training does not end with F&B, however — Koenig said Homewood Suites aims to use the devices to reinforce customer service training that it considers especially important.
“The next phase of Mobile Training will provide refresher training centered on personalized customer service tools inherent to Homewood Suites,” she said.
The first phase of learning content for the mobile training program went through 40 hours of beta testing and now has been filmed and edited. All Homewood Suites properties will take part in the program.