Investing in quality staff accommodation will attract the best employees, says Harriet Sinclair

Staff accommodation has not traditionally been an important consideration for hoteliers. As owners and operators must think about driving volume to their hotels, dealing with existing guests, marketing, and countless other aspects of business, it is no surprise that staff accommodation often falls by the wayside.

It is only in regions such as the Middle East —where hotels have always had to provide housing for their staff— that accommodation becomes such an important issue in hotel management.

Many hoteliers in this region realise that providing good quality staff accommodation is no mere PR stunt or unfortunate obligation, but a vital aspect of good hotel management, which can be utilised to great advantage if done properly.

More than 90% of hotel staff in the UAE are expatriates, and across the region expatriate staff make up a significant proportion of hotel employees — although nationalisation programmes are becoming more commonplace, particularly in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

The high number of expatriates working in hotels in the region means that hotels who want to attract — and keep — good staff to work in their properties must make the provision of top quality staff housing a priority.

The issue of staff accommodation was brought to the fore at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, where the annual Staff Accommodation Awards recognise best practice in the staff housing arena; using criteria such as leisure facilities and activities, food and beverage facilities, international communication and transport to assess which hotels in the region are providing the very best in this important field.

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Why Invest?

Winning awards shouldn’t be the only incentive when considering investing in staff accommodation.

Staff housing has the potential to impact on the business as a whole, with many hoteliers agreeing that staff accommodation plays a significant role in the way staff work and interact with hotel guests.

Mövenpick Jumeirah Beach director of human resources Feras Salibi agrees that the impact of good staff accommodation can be seen throughout a hotel.

“Good employee housing greatly affects staff motivation. If our employees are unhappy it has a direct impact onto their performance at work. The way we approach it is that we treat our employees as our internal customers and we can only expect them to deliver five-star service to the guest if we treat them with the same respect and care,” Salibi says.

“In addition to providing a home we try to create a community feeling at our housing complex with movie nights, sports tournaments and socials.  By creating a community it not only instills a sense of belonging, but also builds team spirit and camaraderie, which is reflected in work performance,” he adds.

Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain director of human resources Gemma Meale feels that staff accommodation is an investment that owners and operators will see a guaranteed return on in the way that their guests are treated by staff.

“Our human resources and housing team are here to develop a service. We know if we look after our people well, including giving them a nice environment and home, they will be engaged and that can only have a positive impact for our hotel morale and guests,” Meale states.

In addition to the obvious benefits of having staff who are well slept and live in safe accommodation, creating a real home for employees can enhance brand loyalty and work ethic and encourage staff to be more aware of how they are treating the hotel guests.

Ramee Group of Hotels chairman and managing worker Raj Shetty feels that staff will work to the best of their ability when they feel taken care of, and adds: “If the employees are cared about and have their needs taken care of, they actually want to put their best foot forward and will work diligently to take care of our valued guests”.

And while good accommodation can encourage staff to stay motivated and provide quality service to guests, it is no surprise that bad housing can have a negative impact on the way that staff work.

Tom Meyer, director of operations – IHG, Dubai and area general manager, IHG Dubai Festival City, recalls staying in bad staff accommodation at the beginning of his career in the industry.

“I have to take you back almost to my first job in Europe, where a lot of the housing facilities are in more out of reach places which are sometimes also associated with high crime rates. When you are staying in a place like that and it is your first job away from home, you are working different shifts —it can be extremely difficult. The pioneers of the hospitality business in Europe deserve a lot of praise because they went through some very tough times in those facilities,” he says.