HILTON GROUP

Hilton Group

Hilton Group

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Hilton Hotels Corporation has been very successful since they were established in 1946. Their diversification profile is significant and ambitious; no matter where you go, there are Hilton hotels there. In addition, Hilton Corporation has been leading in customer service and efficient staffing by utilizing a call center to help them maintain their reputation for hospitality. Hilton Reservations Worldwide handles reservations and information requests for thousands of hotel properties, under their various brands, positioning the company on the top of:• Accurate intraday forecasts• Reduced management costs• Excellent customer service• An edge over the competitionA company's strength does not solely lie in the size of the company but in the management of the company, the employees and their commitment to their customers.

The Hilton Group plc now consists of some 500 hotels across the world, employing over 60,000 staff in some 50 countries. All of these hotels are either operated by management contract or wholly owned by Hilton. Headed by a main board and chief executive, the group is divided into four global regions: UK and Ireland; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Asia Pacific; and the (South) Americas (the Hilton Hotel Corporation, HCC, operates in the USA).

In 1999, the Hilton Group plc purchased Stakis plc in an exchange worth £1.4bn. The integration of the two organisations, each with its own history of operating practices and organisational culture, led to an extensive market research exercise to determine customers' expectations of the Hilton brand. This in turn led to the development and launch in Glasgow, in Spring 2000, of Hilton's new, worldwide quality initiative, Equilibrium. This initiative centres on Hilton Moments where Hilton seeks to provide for individual guests an experience that strikes an appropriate balance between life demands and their personal needs, “putting back a little of what life takes out” in Hilton's terms. Jeff Goldblum, the actor, features in Hilton's adverts as he is seen to represent the new Hilton brand and image. With some adaptations for national cultures, Equilibrium has now been launched in all of Hilton's global regions. Supporting Equilibrium is another company initiative, this one a human resource strategy, and called Esprit. This HR policy initiative was launched with Equilibrium because Hilton Moments service encounters are delivered by the service performers, employees, on their initiative. Esprit embraces the key principles of employee recognition, respect and reward to encourage service quality in Equilibrium.

Here, the Hilton Group's HR Director for the UK and Ireland, Gordon Lyle, explains the relationship between strategic HRM and business performance in his organisation.

Strategic HRM is fundamental to the business in delivering the Hilton promise of Equilibrium both now and in the future. Hilton International worldwide now has a very clear, proactive business strategy expressed in three- and five-year plans. This strategy, communicated throughout the organisation, incorporates the concept of Equilibrium - Hilton Time. Absolutely core to the strategy is the contribution of staff in Equilibrium.

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In Hilton UK and Ireland (HUKI), the business plan has to be wholly consistent with ...