TRUE to its commitment to provide a high standard of service to hotel guests, the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA), in partnership with the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), conducted a four-day Soft Skills Workshop among its members.

Thirty-two hotel personnel composed the third batch of graduates who completed the training course that were held on September 14, 16, 21, and 23, the PHOA said.

During the workshop, the hotel employees were trained to develop their soft skills, along with higher cognitive skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving, that are deemed crucial to increasing capability and productivity of workers.

The ECOP-PHOA Soft Skills program is part of the International Labour Organization’s project entitled STEM Workforce Readiness and Development Program that empowers hotel personnel and allows them to learn from the experts.

Last March, PHOA and ECOP had already produced two batches of Soft Skills Training graduates.

These batches were composed of 61 managers and supervisors from PHOA hotel members in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

While employees’ technical skills are the main considerations in hotel operations, PHOA President, Arthur Lopez, stressed that soft skills, such as the ability to work with others and the capacity to communicate effectively, are also vital in achieving success in every workplace.

“We, in PHOA, recognize the immense value this training provides to our members as we seek to improve their individual productivity and our overall competitiveness. This training also supports our efforts to promote career growth and quality employment,” Lopez underscored.

ECOP Governor Federico Marquez Jr. also acknowledged the importance of their partnership with PHOA in developing the critical soft skills among hotel industry employees.

“We, at ECOP, are more than proud to have PHOA as one of our partner industry associations who will champion the importance of soft skills in the workplace,” Marquez said.

Marquez, at the end of the training, challenged the participants to share their acquired knowledge to hotel industry employees in their respective workplaces to increase efficiency and provide high standard service to their guests.

Despite the limitations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, PHOA is consistently seeking partnerships with esteemed organizations to provide more exclusive trainings that will further develop high-quality service among its hotel members.

PHOA remains committed to representing the business owners in the accommodation sector, more importantly, in forums where government policies are involved.