Resorts World Sentosa offers 45,000 jobs

Resorts World Sentosa, which is expected to open its doors early next year, will provide up to 45,000 job opportunities.

The resort’s assistant director of communications, Robin Goh, said the vast employment opportunities created would also help boost the economic situation in the region.

“Resorts World Sentosa is a one-of-a-kind destination and will definitely attract much interest,” he said during a media familiarisation tour on Tuesday.

He added that the company had already sent a batch of employees to be trained overseas.

“They have been sent to Universal Studios in Orlando, United States, for robust training exercises and have returned to share their knowledge with the locals,” he said.

Goh said most Singaporeans did not have experience in the casino or theme park industry as the organisation was the first to open one in the city-state.

He said various jobs with specific expertise would also be offered to international employees.

“Employment priority will be given to locals but if we cannot get them, we will open it to those from other countries,” he added.

Resorts World Sentosa CEO Tan Hee Teck said the project, one of the most expensive tourism projects in the world, cost over US$4.4bil (RM14.8bil).

“One of the main draws of the resort will be Universal Studios Singapore, which will feature more than 24 different rides for visitors,” he said.

He said the park was expected to generate over S$4.5mil (RM10.8mil) in the first year.

Universal Studios Singapore includes seven different themed zones such as Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Walk-in sous chef fills hotel’s job vacancy

Opportunities sometimes show up in unexpected ways, as a hotel executive discovered when conducting a job interview at Studio V, 1 Utama Shopping Centre.

“It so happens that we are looking for a sous chef, and one candidate turned up with the qualifications we wanted, including overseas experience,” said Rosma Ishak, who is The Legend Hotel Kuala Lumpur Human Resources assistant director.

The Legend Group of Hotels and Resorts is participating with The Star this week at the Star-Jobs h.e.l.p Career Centre at Studio V.

The group comprises several business units including The Legend Hotel, Grand Seasons Hotel and Legend Worldwide Holidays.

Rosma said the group had more than 50 vacancies waiting to be filled at management level and various departments.

“We have many vacancies for the front-line departments, such as guest service officers, concierges and telephone operators,” she said.

On what the group looked for in potential candidates, Rosma said those in the service line must possess a “can do” attitude and communications skills.

“As for those at managerial level, we want those able to contribute new ideas and know how to capitalise on the Internet as the trend is shifting towards this platform.”

She said the group was keen to hire local talents, but they must be willing to work shifts – a key element in the hospitality industry.

Rosma advised candidates to come with an open mind and be versatile.

“The job prospects are good. If employees are keen to try different departments, we are able to accommodate, provided they have a good working track record,” she said.

The Legend Hotel Kuala Lumpur will be conducting walk-in interviews from 2pm to 6pm tomorrow at Studio V.

Positions available are in accounts, catering sales, reservations, concierge, sales, security and safety, food and beverage and telemarketing.

To register, log on to www.star-jobs.com/help. Applicants are advised to bring along their resumes.

The Star-Jobs h.e.l.p or the Star-Jobs Hope and Employment Lifeline Project is aimed at assisting those seeking re-employment during these critical times.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Grooming students for the Hotel Industry

STUDENTS of Kolej Disted-Stamford in Penang learned first-hand from a hotel industry expert what will be in store for them when they enter the working world.

Sunway Hotel assistant human resources manager Lawrence Ayerru briefed the students recently on the key traits, apart from paper qualifications, that the hotel sector looked for when hiring staff.

He said the hospitality industry offered exciting career opportunities but one must be prepared to put in time and effort.

“When working in a hotel, you may have the exhilarating experience of serving celebrities.

“Your hospitality career may also take you around the world as you can choose to work overseas.

“However, you must be ready to put in long hours. Typically, hotel workers work about 12 hours a day,” he said.

In the hotel industry, he added, personal grooming was important as it would leave a good impression on guests.

“So when you go for an interview, dress smart. Good communication skills in English are essential too."

He said there were a variety of jobs in the hotel industry related to areas such as the front office, housekeeping, food and beverages, human resources, public relations and finance.

Besides the talk, those attending the event also enjoyed watching demonstrations on cake-baking and fruit-carving.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

From Bellboy to General Manager – How Long Is The Road?

For those just entering the Hotel Industry, the ultimate career goal may be the position of General Manager. For others, it may be CEO of a Hotel Company. Less ambitious ones may settle for a Director of Rooms or Director of Sales title.

We took a look at Hotel General Managers across the world, to determine how long it took them to get to their current position. We sliced and diced the data on 60 people from various countries and backgrounds to answer this question – How long is the road? How much time does it usually take from the moment when a young person walks into the door as a receptionist or a bellboy to the moment they land their first seat in the big leather chair of a GM’s office, guarded by a dedicated personal assistant?

Table 1

Table 1 reflects the length of time it takes a person to get from an entry-level position to a General Manager role in various parts of the world. Interestingly, the shortest time it takes is in North America (only 14.75 years on average), and the longest is in Asia (16.5 years). Europe is in the middle at about 15.8 years.

This could be contributed to the differing values placed on climbing the career ladder in various cultures, or to the average age at which people retire (thus creating opportunities for the younger colleagues to be promoted), or to the size of the industry which translates into the number of opportunities available to upcoming professionals.

We also found that the area of specialization made a difference in how fast the person rose to the top ranks of management. The data on all professionals we studied was split into 4 common categories – Administrative Personnel, Food and Beverage Division, Rooms Division and Management Trainees. Although not an exhaustive list, it covers 97% of all GMs included in the survey.

Table 2

Some of the examples of entry-level Administrative positions were Accountants and Night Managers. In F&B, young professionals often started as busboys, waiters, stewards, cooks, assistants F&B managers. Typical entry-level Rooms Division positions included: receptionists, PBX operators, bellboys, Assistant Front Office managers.

Unsurprisingly, it took the shortest time – 14.8 years - for people who started as Management Trainees (across all cultures) to get to the General Manager job. These are usually top graduates from Hotel programs, handpicked by hotel companies. They are invited to be nursed through all various departments in order to be seasoned as General Managers in the shortest possible time. People who came up through Rooms Division followed the Management Trainees (at 15.3 years).

Table 3

For those trying to select the job that leads to the General Manager position not by the fastest, but by the most assured road, Table 3 offers the set of data on the make-up of the General Manager population we studied categorised by where they started.

A clear majority of General Managers around the world (40%) started their careers in F&B in entry-level positions. Interestingly enough, this is very characteristic for Europe, where the number reached 55%! At the same time, in the US it’s Rooms Division, and in Asia it is an almost even split between the top 3 most popular areas.

Source : ehotelier
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

How do I Become A hotel PR Manager?

IMAGE is everything in the service industry, more so in a hotel where the clientele come from within and outside the country.

And the responsibility of safeguarding the image of a hotel falls squarely on the shoulders of its public relations (PR) manager.

Jasvin Sidhu, PR manager of The Saujana, Kuala Lumpur, did not come in with formal education in PR. She had started out as a secretary.

"I had a keen interest in this line so I would assist the PR department whenever there were events," she says.

She never went for formal training (she did not get to complete a course in marketing, PR and advertising because of work commitments) but whenever the chance arose, she would jump in to help and learn.

When the post for a PR manager at The Saujana came up, she took it. Aside from the work she had done before, she also sought the advice of friends in the line.

"This line of work is demanding but also fun."

A "normal" work day would be hectic, starting with scanning newspapers for news of the hotel, its competitors and news that could be used to help the hotel in its strategies, followed by a departmental meeting, a heads of department briefing then back at the desk to clear e-mail before meeting clients, mostly media, throughout the day.

"If there is anything going on around the hotel or which involves the hotel, then I would be there too," she says.

Jasvin will also attend trade functions and cocktail receptions where she meets not only members of the media, but also corporate clients.

Time at the end of the work day is reserved for going over her schedule for the next three days or for more appointments, depending on the clients.

"Weekends and public holidays are spent here," she says, adding she is practically married to her work.

Despite the long hours, each day brings new challenges and experiences.

One of the things that Jasvin loves about her work is having something different to look forward to each day and meeting new people.

"It’s never a boring day, it’s hectic but I think I work well under pressure.

"If something crops up at the last minute, I’d still take it on even if my plate is full. Opportunities don’t knock twice."

Jasvin works closely with the media, locally and internationally, either in the promotion or advertising of the hotel or to jointly organise events.

She also works with Tourism Malaysia to take advantage of any opportunity there is to put the name of the hotel in prominence and bring in more guests to the hotel.

She works closely with different departments of the hotel, such as sales and marketing and food and beverage, to promote the packages they come up with.

As PR manager, Jasvin also has to work at least a month ahead to organise and promote events for the hotel.

Sometimes, she is called in to emcee events.

Time management and organisational skills are a must, as are a friendly and approachable nature as well as the willingness to work hard.

"It is also important to maintain good relations with the media," she says.

It also helps if your boss is supportive of your work. At The Saujana, general manager Herbert Laubichler-Pichler encourages his staff to go for training.

Jasvin has no regrets about the career she has chosen though at times she wishes that she had done it earlier.

Source : NST
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]