FFOED WORKSHOP 

Final workshop of ffoed project - Prague - January 2024

In January 2024, we had the opportunity to meet with hotel owners, operations and front office managers, human resources managers, front line employees and hospitality enthusiast to share with them the results of the FFOED project and modern approaches towards front line employees training and development.

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On Monday, January 22nd, we had the opportunity to welcome various hospitality enthusiasts to the beautiful modern conference rooms of the Vienna House by Wyndham Andel’s Prague Hotel. Thanks to our partnership with Previo (the company supporting the learning path of project stakeholders by providing free access to the full version of their PMS) and Perfect Hotel Concept (the group of hospitality experts and professionals who share the beauty of hospitality via training and workshops focusing mainly on overall hotel success), we were able to not only present the results of the FFOED project but also put it into the context of hotel operations and crucial activities carried out by front-line employees and their supervisors and managers.

In the first section, Štěpán Chalupa presented the intellectual outputs of the project and their connection to current issues in the hospitality industry. The updated e-book with the basics of hotel and front office operations was presented, along with the framework created in the previous year of the project. The basics were discussed with workshop attendees, highlighting the need for high-quality products and services. The content was later expanded upon by Jitka Caliskan, who emphasized the need for front-line employees' professionalism. In this context, standard operational procedures were presented, grooming standards and processes were discussed in the context of unusual situations, and ways of managing them were explored. Front office employee professionalism is not solely based on soft skills, and Petr Mareš from Previo showcased the most common mistakes in PMS usage. During the workshop, a new interface and visualization were presented, along with improved functionality. Many attendees requested practical demonstrations of activities and noted the high added value of the video-guide from the FFOED project. Additionally, due to changes in the labor market, the use of English was well received.

After the coffee break, where many previous topics were informally discussed, Jiřina Jenčková from PHC discussed up-selling and advanced activities that might improve overall customer satisfaction and hotel performance. Basic strategies were presented and introduced in the context of their impact on mutual communication. The outputs of the FFOED project, communication scenarios, and standards were used as guidelines for the proper execution of these activities. Later on, modern approaches towards front-line employees were presented to showcase the use of all intellectual outputs.

We want to thank our partners and all attendees for the beautifully spent afternoon and inspiring discussion that proved the need for the content of the FFOED project, which will be continually improved and updated for sustainability.