Capability Design for a Luxury Hotel

Client Overview

A luxury hotel employing several hundred people across front office, food and beverage, housekeeping, events, and corporate functions. Service standards are central to the property's positioning, and much of the workforce is shift-based and operational.

The Challenge

Hospitality is a difficult environment for capability work. Teams are shift-based, operational pressure is constant, and anything that requires people to step away from the floor competes directly with guest service.

The organisation wanted a capability framework that would support development and career pathing across the property. It needed to be built around how hotel teams actually work, and the implementation had to fit into an operating rhythm that does not stop.

The Solution

Ben and the client began working together several months after meeting on AHRI's Developing a Capability Framework course, which he facilitates.

He supported the organisation across both the framework build and the rollout:

• Designing the capability framework structure, including domains, proficiency levels, and behavioural indicators written in language that works for operational teams.
• Adapting capability design principles to a hospitality context rather than importing a corporate model.
• Supporting the implementation rollout, including the practical mechanics of introducing the framework to shift-based teams.
• Working through issues as they surfaced during rollout rather than handing over at design sign-off.

Results (In Progress)

• Delivered a capability framework built for a hospitality operating model.
• Built internal understanding of the framework so the client's team can maintain and extend it.