Employee turnover is a reality for the hospitality industry. Annual turnover is estimated to be between 70 to 80 percent, with analysts citing low wages, long hours, and a lack of career growth opportunities as contributing factors. For hotel management company Hospitality America, the solution to this ongoing problem is mentorship and cultivating a culture where hotel employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.
“Mentorship plays a crucial role in employee retention and satisfaction,” said Justin Deyo, Hospitality America Corporate Director of Operations. “This practice goes beyond skill development. We believe in creating a sense of value and appreciation among associates to develop hotel leaders, drive performance standards, and provide strategic support – especially when undergoing property renovations or new hotel openings that can be quite stressful for staff.
“When people think of mentorship, they traditionally see a means for passing down knowledge from the top down; we see it as a dynamic tool for adaptation, innovation, and personal growth,” he said. “Our new strategic mentorship program is the catalyst to providing exceptional guest experiences while managing complex operations. By shaping the careers of aspiring hospitality professionals, we are ensuring the continued excellence of service delivery at all hotels managed by Hospitality America.”
With 20 years of hotel leadership and operational experience, Deyo will lead the Hospitality America Mentorship effort, which includes vetting and deploying all mentor processes and service standards at the property level. Mentors will impart guest interaction protocols on mentees and share best practices for creating memorable experiences. Through empathetic communications, mentors will instruct associates in ways to anticipate and exceed guest expectations, navigate delicate situations, and handle high-pressure scenarios with grace and professionalism.
“Mentorship in hospitality helps cultivate operational excellence,” Deyo said. “All Hospitality America mentors have extensive experience in hotel management, and they will pass on best practices for optimizing operational efficiency, managing budgets, and maintaining high standards of cleanliness and safety. This knowledge is particularly valuable for junior managers and supervisors who are responsible for overseeing daily operations and ensuring seamless coordination across departments.”
Did you know . . .
- 90% of employees who have a professional mentor report feeling content at work.
- Employees who had the chance to be mentored are five times more likely to be promoted.
- 84% of Fortune 500 companies and 100% of Fortune 50 companies have mentoring programs
- 76% of workers believe that mentoring is vital for professional success, yet just 37% of workers are supervised by a mentor.
- Since the pandemic, there has been a 30% increase in mentoring initiatives at organizations
Mentoring programs add value to employees’ careers, resulting in enhanced engagement and productivity. When engaged employees feel valued, they are much more likely to stay with a company, resulting in a high retention rate. Few efforts support skill development and ongoing learning like mentoring programs do.
Mentors can quickly pinpoint the strengths and areas in which a mentee needs to improve. It helps mentees develop real-life skills and strengths, which is hardly possible in standardized training programs. Mentoring also fosters cross-departmental collaboration, continual learning, and the removal of departmental barriers. Furthermore, it cultivates a culture of advice-seeking among staff members, both within and outside their department, which encourages collaboration across functional boundaries. This collaborative and knowledge-sharing culture helps employees grow in the company and makes them want to stay longer.
The Importance of Transparency
Good mentorship relies on transparency and a commitment from each person to define and meet goals that are mutually beneficial. If leaders are not transparent about their skills and knowledge, it can be challenging to quickly identify areas of improvement.
“Lack of transparency, whether intentional or not, results in some leaders struggling to perform in a self-reliant way,” Deyo said. “Leaders should never assume that mentorship is reserved for those underperforming; rather it should be a continuous relationship that is slightly tailored to each person. To spearhead this program, I will focus on building relationships with all our mentors, frequently checking in with them and reminding them that I am available to them. This includes being fully transparent in terms of their strengths, opportunities for growth, etc. This will ensure that our relationship is built on transparency and a genuine desire to improve.”
To be a Hospitality America mentor, property leaders must exemplify the company’s PEACH culture – Passionate, Excellence, Adaptable, Community, Humble – that guides how employees work, who they work with, and how they achieve success for the company’s partners, team members and guests.
“Our mentors must be motivated by a desire for success, trusted to perform consistently, and willing to develop teams that are adaptable,” Deyo said. “These traits were instilled in me by Hospitality America Vice President of Operations Frank Cook –who mentored me at Hospitality America – and it is because of my growth under his guidance that I will duplicate his teaching to the many mentors we hope to cultivate through this program.”
Ben Campbell, Hospitality America CEO, has this to say: “In the realm of career progression, mentorship plays a critical role in grooming future leaders within the hospitality industry. Any employee aspiring to become a manager will benefit from this program. Mentors will provide strategic guidance, help them navigate career pathways, and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in a leadership role.
I look forward to seeing our mentees experiment with new service concepts and adapt to changing consumer preferences,” he added. “This proactive approach will enhance the competitiveness of our hotels and position them as market leaders in offering cutting-edge experiences that resonate with modern travelers.”
