Saira Hospitality brings talent together from varied backgrounds

With the pipeline of staff from overseas drying up following Brexit, the approach of Saira is all about creating a sustainable pool of employees closer to home. Recruitment is therefore focused on the locality around a hotel. In partnership with hotels, Saira selects the staff, trains them, and supports them as they enter the world of work.

Since becoming established in London in May 2022, Saira has worked with 12 companies, ranging from established properties such as the 97-bedroom Town Hall Hotel & Apartments in Bethnal Green to the newly launched 227-bedroom the Hoxton in Shepherd's Bush.

A sense of place

Saira Hospitality was founded seven years ago by Harsha L'Acqua, who was inspired to set up the concept after coming across a programme that trained women who had been victims of sex trafficking in housekeeping skills. Drawing on her hospitality experience – she had worked for Six Senses, Aman and the Fullerton hotel – and her family background in philanthropy, she enrolled on the Master of Management in Hospitality course at Cornell University in the US. It was during her studies that she developed the idea for Saira Hospitality, which in 2014 won the university's Business Plan competition.

Initially, Saira worked on the recruitment of staff for new hotels in Mexico, the British Virgin Islands, the US and Namibia.

"Many of the hotels we worked with would have previously recruited from overseas," says Greg Früchtenicht, chief operating officer of Saira Hospitality. "Our approach was different – it involved looking beyond the experience and connecting with people locally to create a sense of place. Generally we would go to a location three months before a hotel opened, find potential staff through charities and businesses, and train the recruits using local trainers with a focus on emotional intelligence, communication and leadership skills. We would then fly away again."

Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic presented Saira with the opportunity to work in London and establish a more permanent base. While the impact of the staffing crisis has been felt globally, it was deemed that the capital had been harder hit than any other city.

A pilot programme appropriate for all hotel departments was drawn up, involving the selection of 75 students for a pop-up school in Shoreditch. All the students were screened three times, initially via an application form, then during an immersion day in which the candidates were introduced to the hotel partners via a speed-dating process, and finally through one-to-one interviews.

Charities such as Crisis, which supports the homeless, and Breaking Barriers, which helps refugees find employment, a number of housing associations and the Department of Work and Pensions helped in the recruitment of students, while property agent Buckley Gray Yeoman offered a vacant space – soon to open as the Shoreditch Arts Club – for the first school.

Further support was provided by Otolo, which offered free mentorship to students, and recruitment consultancy Purple Cubed, which monitored the progress of individuals through their training and into the workplace. The trainers were all London-based, and many undertook the programme alongside their main roles as hospitality operators. Representatives of each hotel attended the school to introduce their brands and values to the students, helping identify which property would best suit each individual, as well as holding interactive workshops, such as mocktail making.

Nine partner hotels, including the Hoxton, Hilton Bankside, Pan Pacific London, Town Hall Hotel & Apartments and Nobu Portman Square were involved from the outset in financially supporting the project and in offering job opportunities at the end of the six-week training period.

Maeve Kelleher, vice-president of people and culture at Ennismore, owner of the Hoxton, said that there was "a collaborative approach" to the partnership: "As Saira got to understand more about the Hoxton and know the candidates, it was able to connect us with the applicants they felt would benefit from and enjoy working with us. We worked together to ensure we set each individual up for success from providing practical skills training to encouraging confidence and inter-personal skills."

The majority of time on the training programme was spent in a classroom environment, alongside one week undertaking work experience with the sponsoring hotels. Half-way through the course, a "culinary experience" was hosted by the Town Hall hotel, paid for by Saira Hospitality. The event was regarded as a celebration and provided an opportunity for the students to see top-class service first hand.

Fast forward

A second pop-up training school ran during October 2022 in vacant premises in Grosvenor Street with the support of Grosvenor Estates. This time, 20 students were selected in conjunction with four hotels: Nomad London, Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, Point A Hotels and Sloane Place Hotel. This time the training was reduced to four weeks at the request of students who were keen to enter paid employment more quickly and Town Hall hotel once again hosted the half-way celebratory meal.

Früchtenicht explains that all students are screened for "the hospitality gene" and are expected to show an eagerness to grab hold of the opportunity being offered to them: "We are not just about teaching the practical skills, but also getting the students to understand what it means to the guest to be served a cup of coffee in a professional and friendly manner."

While 68% of the students who took part in the two programmes in 2022 had been unemployed for 12 months or more before starting training, others had worked in a variety of roles, as carers, admin support and for supermarkets. A wide range of ages were involved, from school-leavers up to a 64-year-old who had worked in a casino. "Age is no barrier – we are very inclusive," says Früchtenicht.

The confidence level of students skyrocketed as a result of the training, with all graduates saying they would be happy to put themselves forward for an interview, compared to just 38% before the start of the programme. The majority of students – 92% – received job offers.

To alleviate cost pressures impacting hotels, Saira has secured funding from Cadogan Estates and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the next training programme, to be held in Chelsea next month. Six hotel partners are signed up: the Cadogan, the Hari, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Jumeirah – the Lowndes Hotel, Point A Hotels and Sloane Place/Sloane Club.

With its headquarters now established in London, Saira Hospitality intends to run three training programmes a year across the capital, with a view to launching one aimed at restaurants, alongside occasional pop-up spaces globally. A recent venture saw Saira run a training programme for a community-focused hospitality venue owned by basketball player LeBron James, soon to open in Akron, Ohio in the US.

The demand for new staff to enter hospitality will be ongoing, and Saira Hospitality intends to play a meaningful part to meet that demand for some time to come.

The Saira way of working

A key focus of Saira Hospitality's training programme involves the importance of communication and emotional intelligence.

Students are encouraged to think about non-verbal as well as verbal, communication. Emotional intelligence is highlighted as being integral to the success of great hospitality, with students being given the tools to cultivate this attribute within themselves.

Additionally, while the majority of students are new to the hospitality sector, they are encouraged from the outset to think with the mindset of a leader, thereby providing them with the confidence to go forward and reach great heights within their new industry.

Most of the staff we have taken on are mature

The Town Hall Hotel & Apartments in Bethnal Green has gained 13 staff via the first two cohorts of Saira Hospitality's training programme in London.

The major benefit of the scheme, according to the hotel's general manager Marcolette Anastasi, is that it has introduced mature candidates eager to get back into work after undertaking familial caring duties or a period of unemployment.

"Most of the staff we have taken on are mature, including a 65-year-old now working in our kitchen and a 58-year-old who has been appointed as a receptionist," she says. "For various reasons, they may have been out of work for a decade or more and have struggled to find a role through the usual channels. They have often lost confidence. Going through the Saira programme has given them an oomph and by the time they come to us they are beginning to feel good about themselves.

"Most importantly, older candidates are really keen to be working again – Saira has given them the help they need to do that."

The new recruits are all from east London and are now working at the hotel in kitchen, restaurant, housekeeping, reception, sales and engineering roles.

Anastasi says she would definitely take part in a future Saira training programmes and would recommend it to other hotels: "The scheme provides us with our most important asset – people – as well as creating a feel-good factor by giving something back to the local community."

Giving people a chance fits into the culture of our business

The diverse hospitality portfolio owned by Queensway, incorporating the budget brand Point A, Sloane Place (a boutique hotel) and the private members' Sloane Club have all benefitted from Saira Hospitality.

"We are always looking for new ways of getting people into the business," says Neena Jivraj Stephenson, chief culture officer at Queensway. "We liked the idea of bringing people into our properties who did not have a traditional hospitality background and who would not otherwise have had this opportunity. Giving people a chance is something that very much fits into the culture of our business."

Seven staff are now in employment within front of house and housekeeping positions across the three Queensway brands following initial training with Saira, and more are expected as the company has just signed up for the next training programme in Chelsea.

Jivraj Stephenson says employing staff that have been through the Saira programme is a good way of finding people who have no previous experience of hospitality: "Undertaking the training and work experience helps to manage their expectations and provide a flavour of what lies ahead. They arrive well-equipped, able to think on their feet and can communicate in a warm and friendly manner. Saira Hospitality has been an inclusive way of bringing people into our sector from outside the industry."

An added bonus, she says, is the supportive role that existing staff provide for the new recruits: "It has resulted in a good camaraderie among the teams."