BY KRISTINE HUFFMAN

Throughout 2024 , Pulse will feature interviews and insights about front desk and frontline roles , highlighting opportunities for career development within the spa industry .

ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY conducted by the American Society for Training and Development , “ companies with comprehensive employee training programs have 218 percent higher income per employee than companies without formalized training .” In addition , LinkedIn ’ s 2023 Workplace Learning Report found that “ 93 percent of organizations are concerned about employee retention — and that the number one way to improve retention is by ‘ providing learning opportunities .’ In fact , 94 percent of workers said development opportunities would keep them in a role at their company .” These stats show that providing training makes good business sense , but figuring out the whats and hows of a training program can be a challenge for many small businesses . A good place to start is by creating standards

and protocols that match your mission , vision and values . And there are resources that can help .

Kristine Huffman for Pulse : Many facilities have some standard operating procedures that spell out how they ’ d

like to deliver service . Others may be struggling with how to develop them . What is the advantage of working with a third-party service such as Forbes Travel Guide to provide service standards and training ?

Michael Conte : We find it ’ s beneficial because our rating system is comprehensive , and it ’ s objective in terms of making sure it ’ s consistent around the globe . If you score well , it shows the guest who wants to stay at a luxury property that you are going to be consistent with all of the other luxury properties in the world . We have up to 900 standards that our evaluators will look at when they do an inspection . And a lot of the hotels and resorts we work

MICHAEL CONTE is a senior executive trainer for Forbes Travel Guide . After a 15-year career as an executive spa director in luxury five star-rated spas , Conte decided to join FTG to help other amazing properties reach their highest potential . In addition to being a licensed holistic health practitioner , he is a partner with Pietro Simone Skincare .

with have their own standards . It ’ s not about appeasing us , it ’ s about what you want to be as a property , as a company and where you want to set the bar for luxury .

A property doesn ’ t have to be on a Star Rating journey to work with us from a training perspective . We work with a variety of different companies such as wineries , universities , retailers and more . If you ’ re an independent spa that isn ’ t being rated , you can still work with us . We can come in and train your teams on how to elevate the service .

Pulse : Another big thing that occurs to me is that if you only go by your own standards , you may have on blinders and not be able to objectively evaluate your own property or employees . Using a third-party service or a secret shopper gives an independent view of the experience at a property . MC : Absolutely . That ’ s what our evaluators do . They travel to properties on a regular basis and they experience them firsthand . So , it ’ s much more obvious to them when something is not meeting the mark , or if you ’ re not going above and beyond for your guests .

Pulse : How do you bring the list of standards to life ? MC : I always talk about the why behind the standard because there is purpose and reasoning behind each one . Whether it ’ s about efficiency or more thoughtful touchpoints of showing genuine interest in a guest , you can really focus on why it elevates the service at your spa or your hotel , then it starts to sink in so it makes more sense to the staff .

At the end of the day , I try to let people know it ’ s about treating humans well . And that doesn ’ t just have to be in

54 PULSE n APRIL / MAY 2024