Mandarin Oriental: Talent everywhere

Business travelers might note that the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is a relatively young hospitality brand. While its flagship building, Hong Kong’s Mandarin, has been part of the territory’s business and social scene since 1963, it was not until ten years later that it took a direct interest in a second hotel, The Oriental in Bangkok. The company then blended the two well-known names to form a single group.

The company has since expanded to boast a footprint in some of the most valued hotel markets in the world. Paul Clark, Group Director of HR, and Jacqueline Moyse, Group Head of Organisational Development, say that today, Mandarin Oriental Hotels can be found throughout Asia, as well as Europe and North America. And there’s more on the way.

They note that each hotel has a well-deserved reputation for service and style. But that outward view has only been possible because of the Group’s strong internal dedication to careful recruitment, development and staff engagement policies. Now, as the Group expands even further afield, it is that commitment to innovative HR practice that is making Mandarin Oriental Hotels appear far more practiced than its relative youth might suggest.

Same, but different

Take a walk through the grand, ornate lobby of the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and you’ll see a very different hotel facade to the dramatic space of the Singapore hotel. Similarly, the modern styling of the New York City Mandarin Oriental, part of the Time Warner Centre, contrasts distinctly to the more traditional austerity of its sister hotel opposite Hyde Park in London. But both Clark and Moyse point out that there is much more that unites the hotels behind the scenes.

“We apply the same principles and minimum standards, but the identity and style of each property is different,” Clark says. “We encourage that autonomy; no one believes in having a single monoculture.”

Much of the focus is driven by the Group HR department, based in Hong Kong. Moyse says every function and job description – including the HR roles – is underpinned by a unique set of standards and performance indicators. While a chef in Boston will be creating different culinary delights to his counterpart in Manila, both are subject to the same standards and goals.

Each hotel’s HR team is able to massage the policies and procedures to fit the prevailing employment market and culture. The group’s Corporate HR team meets with regional Operations Directors five times a year to consider HR deliverables across the 25 hotels and to continually check on overall HR strategy, keeping it in line with business objectives.

Unique service staff

The ‘same but different’ concept could also apply to the things Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group looks for in its staff. Clark says his team has worked hard to create an employer brand that highlights both the wide range of opportunities available for staff, and the significant empowerment policies in place for even some of the more junior roles.

“The brand plays at all levels,” he says, noting that front-line service staff have just as much need to create solutions as managers, if not more. “There’s always a bit of freedom and flexibility; enough to create legendary quality experiences for our guests.”

But simply empowering staff is not enough. Clark says HR needs to take a lot of care to ensure it is hiring the right people in the first instance. For this, the group looks for staff that are able to take initiative, and to relish and deliver on that extra responsibility.

“We are not looking for people who need to rely on precise guidelines in manuals,” Moyse says, noting that staff of all levels and functions should be problem-solvers at heart. “Otherwise, it is difficult to deliver the service level required.”

This flexibility and empowerment also applies at the management levels of the hotels. Clark says the group is always looking to consider new ideas and approaches to common problems. “We don’t want to spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel,” he says. “But building on ideas can also lead to creative solutions.”

A worldwide talent solution

The Mandarin Hotel Group may be young, but it is certainly growing up fast. It’s currently in the midst of a rapid expansion that will soon take it from its current status as a 25-hotel adolescent group to a fully-fledged adult brand with more than 40 hotels under its wing. Last year saw it open three new buildings, in Las Vegas, Barcelona, and Sanya on Hainan Island. But far more are currently under development: the Macau and Marrakech hotels are due to open soon while current construction will soon see the brand extend to the Caribbean, Maldives and Moscow.

All that growth poses several challenges for Mandarin Hotels’ HR staff, but also opportunities. “The rapid growth of business requires extensive succession planning,” Clark says. Fortunately, the Hong Kong team has a special tool to make the most out of all its talent throughout the world.

Called Profile, both Clark and Moyse say this specially-designed techology solution provides the building blocks of talent within the Group. It is a performance and succession management system designed to assess colleague performance, determine development needs, identify talent and plan for succession. An interactive application, it allows both staff and line managers to input information on each individual’s skills, training and performance.

This can then be analysed to carefully plan further learning and development opportunities, Moyse says. “It’s a two-way process that helps develop people internally,” she notes. It provides for practical feedback, appraisals, and helps to determine learning and development plans and strategies for the entire group.

“The outcome is enhanced career paths and succession planning.”

This in turn ties in with some of most attractive parts of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s employer brand, Clark says. Profile allows the Group HR level to pinpoint potential leaders well in advance of their expected promotion. And with hospitality workers known to be mobile, it also creates a worldwide talent base for every position in every Mandarin Hotel throughout the world.

“The system is doing the job of tracking careers within the group,” Clark says. “It helps us to determine who is ready for the next career step and then actively promote internally.” In this way, those with the ability to take on more senior roles, can be considered for opportunities in existing or opening hotels “This communicates awareness that there are real career opportunities for employees, both in their current hotel and within the expanding Group,” Clark says. “This in turn creates a notable enthusiasm at all levels, further enhancing service standards and productivity.”