Training in the U.S. Lodging Industry

Abstract

Despite the apparent benefits of training, many lodging companies do not offer planned, quality training programs and spend far less than non-hospitality businesses on employee-training activities. The authors compare the perceptions of corporateand propertylevel lodging personnel on the value of training with training's actual industry-wide implementation, including the percentage of their payrolls that lodging companies devote to training. The authors believe that not including training as a line-item expense is one reason training is not consistently implemented, and suggest that companies establish a clear cost-benefit link between training expenses and outcomes, reward individuals responsible for undertaking training responsibilities, and make quality training materials and programs available at the property level.