Tourism Maldives

Zakariyya “Zaki” Easa, Training & Development Manager for award-winning Crown & Champa Resorts has been with the company for over 19 years and offers insightful secrets to success in Training & Development in the Maldives.

 

Training & Development is an essential department in any organization, where employees are further equipped with a range of skills designed to enhance their job performance and shape their overall career goals. In the Hospitality Industry, resorts and hotels further invest their resources on training employees, and most importantly, developing the necessary skills within the company.

 

Born and raised in the Maldives, Zaki holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Open University of Malaysia; a Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Honours from the University of Toulouse in France (via Taylor’s University of Malaysia); and has maintained a successful track record working in various departments of the hospitality industry.

 

He has grown in his career with Crown & Champa Resorts during the past 19 years, focusing on all the operational departments from junior levels to executive levels. His multifaceted management skills include the highest level of compliance-based activities, such as Implementation and HACCP/Food Safety Training, and currently leading the Training and Development team representing the entire award-winning group.

 

Zaki’s acute knowledge and experience allows him to observe the various changes in the training processes employed by various companies in the Maldives, ‘the perspective of Employee Training and Development has drastically changed over the years in Maldives, from least valued sector to the most vital strategic business tool towards a necessary competitive edge’, he mentions. He further emphasises the need to have skilled trainers at the various Crown & Champa Resorts properties.

 

“To sustain business success, quality standards and continuity of service improvements at a competitive edge, multi-skilled and experienced trainers are vital. Their partnership is inseparable from a company’s business strategies and the business plans.”

 

Open communication and genuine partnership are some of the reasons why the Training & Development Department at Crown & Champa Resorts is so successful and essentially, one of the leading teams in the Maldives. Zaki finds that although each company is unique, very few keep the global workforce in mind when creating training portfolios. Key factors such as cultural and generational differences in the workforce affect how receptive an employee is to any training activity.

 

There are many facets to understanding the factors that affect an employee’s development within a company. Zaki mentions, ‘not having clear expectations at an operational level, as well as a career and succession plan.’ He further states that career goals serve as a fundamental motivational tool for any employee who wants to work in this industry. ‘A development plan with a realistic time frame builds trusted social contract between employees and employers’, he adds. This plan eventually helps to sustain continuous service improvements by retaining qualified and experience employees.

 

Crown & Champa Resorts offer a variety of development programmes for the benefit of the employee, the company and our guests. These include a Sponsorship Programme for in-house staff, Graduate Management Training Programme, as well as Departmental and Inter-Resort Cross Exposure Programme.

 

“Apart from basic education qualification, good behaviour, a positive attitude, flexibility and a passionate for your work. The ideal scholarship programme candidate is a person who loves to learn and improve knowledge/skills, is results oriented and a people’s person.”

 

Find out more about one of the successful recipients of a Crown & Champa Resorts scholarship here.

 

Download our 5 ways to improve your Training & Development Methods and enhance your own teams… the Crown & Champa Resorts way.

Ahmed Shaheen, Director of Sales & Marketing for award-winning Crown & Champa Resorts (‘CCR’) has been with the company for over 23 years and offers insightful secrets to success in the Sales & Marketing arena of the Maldives.

 

From Market Trends, Sales Strategies and Marketing Plans to Sales Calls, International Trade Shows and Lead Generation, Sales & Marketing is an essential department in the Hospitality Industry, which is visible in multiple stages of the Guests’ Journey between initial knowledge of a destination, to the checkout and aftersales experience.

 

Year after year, CCR continues to grow as leading Resort & Hotel brand in the Maldives, which currently manages a total of 8 properties with several new developments underway. The Sales & Marketing Department ensures that each Resort and Hotel individually, as well as a part of the renowned group, is well represented across all Markets and platforms among our partners, Travel Agents and Tour Operators.

 

Born and raised in Maldives, Shaheen holds a Higher Diploma in Hospitality Management from Taylor’s College in Malaysia and has climbed the ladder from a young age with experience in various departments of the hospitality industry. He has grown in his career with CCR during the past 23 years focusing on Accounts, Operations, Sales & Marketing and currently now taking lead of the Sales & Marketing team representing the entire award-winning Group.

 

Travel and Hospitality in the Maldives is a rapidly changing environment and an industry where one has to focus to stay ahead of the market. CCR’s diverse and experienced Sales & Marketing team sets the Group apart. Shaheen adds that, ‘each member in the team contributes valuable experience and knowledge to our sales strategies in order to keep up with the new trends of each market in the world and the destination itself.”

 

In his advise to Sales & Marketing professionals on setting a successful sales strategy, Shaheen lists the follow key points:

 

1. Listen to your sources and evaluate their statements, concerns, suggestions and opinions.
2. Discuss with your team of experts and evaluate the same.
3. Use the contributions to implement a customized strategy.

 

“By listening to our valued partners all around the world, we focus on evolving our brand and creating new trends for our partners to join us on our journey of new and fresh offerings.”

 

International Trade Fairs are a great way for Sales & Marketing professionals to foster Business-to-Business (B2B) partnerships, including some of the World’s leading travel events like ITB Berlin and the World Travel Market. At such events, Shaheen estimates that the team manages an average of 70 meetings including Tour Operator functions and networking events.

 

“A typical day at a trade show for our team includes a combination of meetings to acquire, developing and retain partners. With each partner, we actively solicit discussions on how we can improve, as well as plan and strategize how to keep up with the market trends and empower these relationships.”

 

The goal, to ensure that Crown & Champa Resorts remains the best partner in the Maldives, is intrinsically linked to the Group’s vision, as well as the mission to exceed all expectations, whether from behind-the-scenes, as with Sales & Marketing efforts, harnessing valuable feedback from partnerships or improving the overall guest experience.

 

Learn more about Sales & Marketing efforts in the Travel and Hospitality Industry. Read the 5 little known facts and the link between these efforts and the guest experience.

Recruiting and retaining skilled employees is an essential part of the Hospitality Industry, so much so that Resorts & Hotels invest most of their resources on HR Departments to find the right talent and ensure existing employees are well cared for.

 

Liezette S. Robles, Human Resource Manager for award-winning Crown & Champa Resorts (CCR) has been with the group for over 7 years and offers insightful secrets to success in Human Resources in the Maldives.

 

Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Liezette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of the City of Manila (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila). She has extensive experience in the Human Resources Departments of various Resorts & Hotels, including the start of her career at El Nido Resorts in Makati, Philippines in 1995; La Cigale Hotel in Doha, Qatar in 2008; and then joining Crown & Champa Resorts in 2010.

 

The extensive experience provides keen insight into the changes in Human Resources, especially in the Hospitality industry and in the Maldives. “A lot has changed and improved in the recruitment process. Policies and procedures were not followed as strictly as they should have and often no standard forms were established,” she adds.

 

Over the years, CCR has only further grown as a leading group in the Travel & Hospitality Industry of the Maldives. The need to stay up-to-date with policies, regulations and procedures is crucial to a seamless HR Department and to help in finding the right talent.

 

In her advise to HR Managers, Recruiters and companies looking to improve their employee retention and general wellness of employees, Liezette lists the following:

 

1. Build a good network with other Resorts and trusted recruitment agencies.
2. Follow standard procedures and policies in the recruitment process.
3. Use interviews as a more personal and in-depth approach to selecting candidates.
4. Foster an open-door corporate culture that encourages employees to communicate.
5. Walk-the-talk and follow what you implement.

 

CCR treats its employees as a family. Most of the long serving employees feel that they have found a second home in CCR. The open door policy is also a big advantage. Anyone can speak directly to the CEO or even the Owners. That makes the staff feel heard, valued, important and mostly, that they belong.

 

Crown & Champa Resorts’ core values are the foundation of HR Departmental goals, resulting in some of the top reasons why CCR employees are happy to work within the group. These values also provide for the health, educational, lifestyle and professional wellbeing of employees, as well as the overall growth of the group.

 

Start making improvements within your own department. Read the 5 common hiring mistakes and how to fix them, for successful recruitment and essentially, higher employee retention and employee wellness.