Where e-learning is best used in hotel training

by Alex Raymond

As hotels and hospitality companies continue to grow in the region, they are suffering from predictable shortages of skilled staff to support their growth. For hotels companies that, by their nature, are distributed organizations, online training (e-learning) is a great way to provide consistent, high-quality training to all types of employees.

The key benefits of e-learning are:

• good use of resources: build once, use it many times
• ensure consistency: the same message goes out to everyone
• maintain brand standards: customize it to meet your needs
• maintain internal controls: get reports on activity and participation
• save time: provide the smallest possible learning activity; just-in-time training allows minimal time off the floor

Of course, e-learning isn't mean to replace traditional classroom training. Most of my customers combine the two (this is called blended learning) and use the online training component to save time and money by reducing the amount of time employees need to be in the classroom. E-learning courses can be assigned as pre-reading to ensure that all students have a minimum level of knowledge walking into the training session. And e-learning courses are also a great leave-behind so that students can study at their own pace once the classroom portion is completed.

The e-learning delivery platform (also called a Learning Management System or LMS) is a powerful tool that saves lots of admin time for human resources (HR) managers. The LMS is the technology platform for all training in the company (both e-learning and classroom) and allows HR managers to provide targeted, specific training when it's needed.

And these benefits are not just reserved for large hotel companies. Many smaller chains and boutique hotels stand to benefit, too. Costs for e-learning courses and infrastructure have come down considerably with the explosion of the SaaS (software-as-a-service) business model and most e-learning platforms don't require big IT teams to implement or use. That means that you can get started with e-learning, no matter how big (or small) your training budget.