Hospitality Education, Training, and Certification with AHLEI
For nearly 65 years, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has provided hospitality professionals and those preparing for hospitality careers with the educational and training resources they need to succeed. Chances are, if you work in hospitality, you’ve taken a class using an AHLEI textbook, watched an AHLEI DVD, earned a professional certification administered by AHLEI, or completed an AHLEI distance learning course.
Established in 1953 as the nonprofit education and training arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), AHLEI’s mission is to be the preferred provider of quality resources to educate, develop, and certify hospitality students and professionals worldwide. AHLEI became part of the National Restaurant Association in 2017, connecting and leveraging the resources of two organizations that are deeply committed to a vision of career success and upward mobility for current and future hospitality, restaurant, and foodservice employees.
AHLEI offers many cost-effective training options for hotels and resorts, including DVDs, skills guides, professional certification, management courses, and online learning solutions for every level of hospitality employee. Topics run the gamut from responsible alcohol service and revenue management to human trafficking awareness and serving guests with disabilities.
Reach Multiple Properties with Online Learning
Many AHLEI programs are available through the company’s online learning management system, CourseLine®. The LMS enables brands and management companies to develop a menu of targeted professional development courses to meet their property and brand needs and to present that training across their organizations in an easily accessible, budget-friendly format.
“We are currently using the CourseLine® e-learning platform to support our annual Online Management Development Program,” said Becky Durling, Xanterra’s corporate manager of learning and development. “Participants include managers from our hospitality operations as well as corporate office and reservations call center managers.” Participating properties include resorts, lodges, and hotels in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Arizona, California, and South Dakota.
In addition to the management development program, Xanterra Parks & Resorts also recently rolled out the Certified Hospitality Department Trainer (CHDT®) program for its operational trainers and managers. The company launched the program at four Ohio properties in December and has since certified approximately 45 staff members from eight Xanterra Parks & Resorts locations. Xanterra is also considering adding Guest Service Gold® to its training mix.
“I’m excited about the opportunities that AHLEI products offer us in regard to developing our staff,” said Durling.
Guest Service Gold® Makes Properties Shine
Since AHLEI introduced Guest Service Gold® Making Connections in 2011 and Guest Service Gold® Golden Opportunities in 2015, more than 37,000 individuals have completed the training, with more than 34,000 earning the Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) designation. Those properties that train and certify all guest-facing employees can earn the designation of Certified Guest Service Property—a title currently held by fewer than 150 properties worldwide. Resorts that have earned the designation include IDW Esperanza Resort in Lithuania, Beaches Turks & Caicos, and the PGA National Resort & Spa in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“I decided to use the Guest Service Gold® video in every new hire orientation,” said Sheila Hills, PGA National Resort training manager. “Being a resort with a membership club, spa, and five golf courses, all departments in the front or back of the house have the possibility of interacting with a guest or member at any time! Any one of the seven guest service elements presented in the training can come into play.”
AHLEI—Your Resort Training Partner
AHLEI’s sales team can help you find the best solutions to fill in gaps in your training regimen or work with you to create a complete professional development program targeted to your most pressing learning challenges. For more information and a FREE case study that highlights AHLEI’s work with Sandals Resorts International’s 19 properties, visit www.ahlei.org/resort. To contact an industry sales manager, call 1.800.349.0299 or +1.407.999.8100, or e-mail sales@ahlei.org.
