Hyatt starts in-house training
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from December 1995.
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Mrs. Bothwell is a certified instructor for DDI, a corporate training company. Recently, she conducted her first orientation-training session, which focused on the Hyatt philosophy, policies, procedures, benefits and guest services. There was also a segment on island living for employees from overseas.
"We remain committed to equipping our employees with adequate job skills," said general manager, Doug Sears, "and we hope the training helps to encourage them to apply for promotions within our organisation."
Mrs. Bothwell will also conduct two levels of training programmes. Service Plus is designed for non-management employees and geared towards customer service issues. Interactive Management is a course which teaches managers and supervisors how to interact more effectively with staff. "In the past employees received some training by corporate trainers who would visit the island to conduct specific seminars," said Juliet Johnson, director of Human Resources, "but it was very hard to co-ordinate the training with the trainers and hotel business levels."
Ms Johnson said the Hyatt can now offer regularly scheduled training session to a broader range of employees. "My goal is to have a continuous training schedule to ensure that all of the nearly 400 Hyatt staff members have skills needed to carry out their jobs well," said Mrs. Bothwell. "Eventually I would like to be able to offer various courses to other properties on the island."
Mrs. Bothwell also expects to work with schools to generate interest in careers in the hospitality industry.
As well as her qualifications, Mrs. Bothwell has experience in both hospitality and teaching.
"My parents owned the Tortuga Club in East End, and when I was 10 my mother dressed me up in a red and "white pinafore and had me out there serving guests," she said.
Mrs. Bothwell began her career as a primary school teacher. She has also been a flight attendant and worked for the Cayman Islands Hotel Association.
She has managed several condominium developments on Seven Mile Beach and the Cayman Islander Hotel. She was actively involved in training with the Cayman Islands Hotel and Condominium Association and with a representative from the Caribbean Hospitality Training Institute she worked to develop and conduct a course for the Customs and Immigration Department.
