Eight week ‘Leadership Development’ program offers competitive salary, benefits package and the opportunity to join one of hospitality’s leading management and ownership companies
Danbury, Conn., March 22, 2016—How are today’s leading hotel companies ensuring exceptional experiences for guests? By empowering employees to deliver outstanding customer service. At Meyer Jabara Hotels, an award-winning East Coast ownership and management company, creating engaging stays start with recruiting, hiring and training the highest level of talent. This process starts with the Meyer Jabara Hotels Leadership Development Program, a placement opportunity whereby hotel school graduates build a strong professional foundation and understanding of how each position, department, and division contributes to a hotel’s overall success. In addition to receiving a competitive salary and benefits package, at the end of the eight-week program, qualified candidates are offered full-time, entry-level management positions in the Rooms or Food-and-Beverage divisions within the Meyer Jabara Hotels portfolio.
“The first step towards a successful career in hospitality is education; the second step is to participate in the Meyer Jabara Hotels Leadership Development Program,” said Justin Jabara, Meyer Jabara Hotels VP of Development. “Not only do participants receive practical training and hands on experience in a fast-paced hotel environment, but it’s here that the journey to becoming a hotelier begins. We bring candidates up close and personal with all the small actions, big strategies, and monumental decisions that happen when operating a hotel to set them up for success.
“Providing superior customer service doesn’t happen by accident; it’s a conscious effort made by each associate willing to accept the responsibility,” he said. “If you want to create a truly engaging destination experience, then the Meyer Jabara Hotels Leadership Development Program is for YOU. We are looking for associates willing to do what it takes to create an award-winning, memorable guest experience.”
Here’s how the Meyer Jabara Hotels Leadership Development Program works:
Step One: Apply to the program by clicking here.
Step Two: Begin the Eight Week Rotation
The training program begins with an orientation on the Meyer Jabara Hotels brand and its company culture, referred to as “The Journey.” Along “The Journey,” candidates will be trained to embrace empowerment and the responsibility for providing superior customer service and differentiated repeatable experiences for guests. Candidates will attend two interactive training classes: “Leading the Journey” prepares them to nurture and perpetuate the culture, while “Living the Journey” showcases the benefits and expectations of living and working within this culture from a managerial perspective. They also will receive ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Certification from the National Restaurant Assn. that provides education on food sanitation and foodborne illness (and how to prevent it). TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) Certification is also conducted to ensure education and training for the responsible service, sale, and consumption of alcohol.
Candidates then rotate throughout every department of the hotel, gaining hands-on experience and working together with fellow employees. Rotation between the following departments will happen in two-week increments: Accounting & Human Resources, Rooms Division (Front Office, Housekeeping, Engineering), Food & Beverage (Restaurant, Beverage, Kitchen, Banquets), and Sales & Catering. Meetings with property General Managers will take place after each two-week rotation. A mentor will be individually selected for each candidate who will provide one-on-one coaching throughout the training period.
Step Three: Placement at a Meyer Jabara Hotel
After successfully completing the program, an evaluation of the candidate’s performance will be conducted by the property’s General Manager and VP of Operations. Based on the review, a candidate may then be offered a full-time, entry-level management position within the Meyer Jabara portfolio. Placement is determined by skills, interest, talent and individual property needs.
From Left: Meyer Jabara Hotels’ team members Lisa Johnson, Todd Lincoln, and Nicole Kitts attend the Johnson & Wales Career Expo.
“We have been very fortunate to attract and hire exceptional associates through this program,” Jabara said. “A recent success at one of our largest properties hosted five trainees, of which four progressed to management positions. This is an important message to carry out to graduates – especially Millennials – who need assurances that they chose the right career. Knowing that there are companies willing to invest in their future removes some of the uncertainty that recent graduates experience when entering the workforce.”
Meyer Jabara Hotels VP of Operations Ron Antonucci had this to say about the Leadership Development Program: “We believe that investing in people through programs like this is an investment in the success of hospitality as a whole. Spending a little extra time on training increases employee productivity and job satisfaction while it reduces turnover. It also lowers the costs associated with recruiting and training new hires. With the program in its third year, the company is seeing great results.”
Meyer Jabara Hotels is often seen recruiting and speaking at college career fairs and attending classroom visits, interacting with graduating classes to introduce its Leadership Development Program. Participating colleges to date include: Johnson & Whales, University of Delaware and Monroe College. Interested candidates can apply online by clicking here.
For more information on Meyer Jabara Hotels, visit www.meyerjabarahotels.com. For media inquiries, call Barb Worcester of PRpro at (440) 930-5770 or email her at barbw@prproconsulting.com.
