Emmanuelle Tulliez: Many entrepreneurs, leaders and managers are wondering about the expectations of the new generations as well as those of current employees. Although many think they know them, what is the reality? Sophie, can you share your views on this question?
Sophie Donabedian: Of course. I’m delighted to be with you today to discuss the lessons learnt with our students, who have embarked on a project that is futuristic but firmly rooted in the present. We have set up an inclusive class of young work-study students, looking for students from priority neighbourhoods. Thanks to a partnership with an academic institution and our hotels, these students were able to follow theoretical and practical training. Today, we are coming to the end of these two years, and I wanted to share what we have learnt from this adventure.
Emmanuelle Tulliez: How have you assessed the work you’ve done over the last two years?
Sophie Donabedian : For us, it was vital to listen to and gather feedback from both students and hoteliers. So we organised a tour of our four classes, including students in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, accompanied by our President and local B&B Hotels managers. We had direct discussions and listened to their feedback. For the hoteliers, we set up focus groups and questionnaires which enabled us to obtain detailed feedback from 70 hotels on our practices and expectations in terms of HR and inclusion.
Emmanuelle Tulliez: And what conclusions did you draw?
Sophie Donabedian: First of all, the students showed that there was a significant lack of knowledge about budget hotels, and in particular about the reality of this sector. It is essential to communicate more effectively about the exciting careers available in the budget hotel sector, which is often perceived as being more focused on the luxury…
