After 25 years in hospitality—from host stand to corporate office—I know this much: a smiling team and smooth check-in don’t happen by chance. They’re the result of intentional, well-measured training. But according to the newly released Hospitality Training 360 report by the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers and Opus Training, 40 percent of hospitality organizations still aren’t measuring the impact of their learning programs. That’s a wake-up call.
If we want training to be effective and taken seriously—and funded—we have to speak the language of operations: performance, retention, and ROI.
It’s time to move beyond checking boxes and tie training directly to what matters most in the hospitality business, such as guest satisfaction, team retention, internal promotions, and operational consistency. Here are my top five ways to align training with desired business results:
- Start with the end in mind. Before building content, ask: What behavior are we trying to change? What result will prove we succeeded? Define clear, measurable KPIs with key stakeholders before launching any training program, and set regular timelines for assessments.
- Measure beyond the LMS. Move beyond tracking who completes training to whether that training changes behavior and improves performance. Track operational KPIs like guest satisfaction, turnover, injuries, internal growth, and even chargebacks to connect learning to impact.
- Replace “microlearning” with “micro-dosing.” Small, thoughtful doses of training—spread over 30 to 90 days—reinforce knowledge and confidence without overwhelming new hires.
- Curate development paths. Tailor learning based on individual experience. A seasoned front desk associate may not need guest greeting 101, but might benefit from more tech or systems training. This helps ensure they’re not just checking boxes, but building confidence and capability.
- Use AI to scale inclusivity and efficiency. From diverse avatars and voices in training videos to creating self-paced development paths, AI can help represent our team and guests authentically while saving time.
The Hospitality Training 360 report highlights a clear trend: operational speed and efficiency are top priorities across the industry. But efficiency shouldn't come at the cost of quality and quantification. If anything, it means our training must be more targeted, more relevant, and more measurable than ever.
When done right, and measured well, training is one of the most powerful business tools we have. It’s a business driver—when you measure what matters.
Myisha Smith is the corporate director of training for Pacifica Hotels. She is an active member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers.