Hotels guests are becomingly increasingly demanding about the heritage, preparation and taste of their morning coffee. Hotels guests are becomingly increasingly demanding about the heritage, preparation and taste of their morning coffee.

Q: HOW IMPORTANT IS HOTEL STAFF TRAINING FOR THE PERFECT CUP?
Biedenkopf: In one word, “essential”. As a tea supplier, we go through a long process to find the best qualities, blends and flavours of tea. We handle, store, pack and ship them half way around the world to make some of the best teas on this planet available to hotel customers. If then on the last step, a service person doesn't prepare it correctly for his guests; all these efforts are for nothing.

Yurkina: It is extremely important to get training for the staff and it is a common practice in most outlets. However, a high turnover of employees in the sector does not make it any easier and affects the quality of the served coffee/tea immensely as well as causing an inconsistency in service.

Biedenkopf: This is a very important factor as not only is the barista representing the product but also the hotel. A badly served coffee can make a long lasting impression on the customer which can be damaging to both brands. Continuous and regular refresher staff training is imperative as it can help motivate staff.

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Jones: This is huge factor! As a coffee roaster, we visit farms, we taste hundreds of coffees to decide on the correct beans and then ship these beans to our Roastery in Dubai which can take about three months.

We carefully store the beans at the appropriate temperature and humidity, roast them by hand, pack them and deliver them. However, if the person behind the machine is not trained, in the 30 seconds it takes to make the coffee, all of the work we do to source and develop that wonderful coffee is wasted.

Zaman: This is a very critical area which if the hotel gets right can mean the difference between failure and success. Properly trained staff will ensure that they give their guest the “right experience” with serving tea or coffee.

There are now dedicated training institutes which train people in the delicate art of beverage service and produce expert "tea connoisseurs/ sommeliers” and “coffee baristas” who can make a world of difference.

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