Hospitality workers receive additional training

Front desk operators and housekeeping staff from a number of local hotels, apartments and private houses received much needed training over two days last week.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel and Tourism Association sponsored workshops saw more than 50 persons in the hospitality industry receiving significant and applicable information on ways in which they can enhance their skills in their respective fields.{{more}}

Barbados-based Vincentian facilitator Francelia Marksman, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the hotel and tourism industry, facilitated the workshops, which took place on Tuesday, September 6, at the Sunset Shores Hotel conference room, (for front desk operators) and on Wednesday, September 7, at The Grenadine House (for professional housekeepers).

Marksman equipped the participants with the essential knowledge and skills for quality customer service delivery, positive and respectful communication, standards and trends, confidentiality and ethics, and other techniques that would boost their expertise.

She reminded them that most times, they are the first and only impression that a guest may have of the company that they represent, so it was important that they provide the best quality service at all times, for the benefit of their employer and themselves.

The participants also shared some of their experiences on the job, and were given tips on skillfully and professionally handling difficult and sometimes uncomfortable situations on the job.

The workshops, organized by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel and Tourism Association, were just two of many that are conducted year round, in an effort to lift the standard of the tourism product in St Vincent and the Grenadines.