Expected travel boom may result in extra training for hospitality professionals

The luxury travel sector is expected to boom as people seek out high-end experiences following more than a year of COVID-19 social restrictions and the increasing roll out of vaccinations in developed countries, according to Magnums Academy, a leading luxury hospitality training consultancy.

“There is a huge pent-up demand for luxury experiences, along with billions of dollars of potential travel expenditure in the hands of people who are desperate to start exploring the world again,” said Josephine Ive, director of Magnums Academy.

“However, hospitality professionals all over the world have been impacted by job losses and an accompanying loss of confidence. The luxury sector is realising it needs to refresh training for existing staff in exemplary service areas, as well as implement 7-star service training for new hires.”

Ive, the daughter of a highly experienced English butler, and a former butler herself to British Royalty and High Court judges, is Magnums’ principal trainer for many international clients who employ professional butlers, valets and superyacht crews.

Although based in Australia, Ive is now back on the road internationally, conducting training in the UK, Europe, the USA and in particular Antibes.

Magnum’s client list includes the Oriental in Bangkok, Raffles in Singapore, and hotels in the Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Shangri-La, Westin and Langham groups, along with the owners of a large number of superyachts who require very highly trained stewards and stewardesses.

The consultancy has delivered remote training throughout the pandemic – and will continue to offer this option – but is now taking a growing number of bookings for in-person training.

It is also offering online assessments to ensure hospitality professionals can learn, refresh and update their skills. A number of specially tailored tests and refresher tools are available from Magnums Academy, which uses Classmarker as its mainstream assessment tool. This is an easy-to-use, customisable online testing solution for training assessments with tests and quizzes that are graded instantly and, in some instances, a certificate of achievement.

Magnums offers interior crew member training with G.U.E.S.T programmes accredited by the International Association of Maritime Institutions (IAMI).

“This sector is experiencing explosive growth, as wealthy individuals buy yachts so they can sail to idyllic parts of the world without COVID-19 heavily impacting their travels,” Ive said.

“The traditional northern hemisphere sailing season of April to October has now become a year-round activity, and we are offering a variety of training programmes to cater for stewards and stewardesses employed by yacht owners and through employment agencies.”

Training for superyacht crews was introduced when it became clear this was a trend for the ultra-rich, and cultural awareness training has been developed to ensure Magnum-trained butlers can confidently manage the requirements associated with Middle Eastern, Asian and South Asian cultures, as well as British, European and American traditions.

The company’s leading yacht service trainer, Kim Woodey, formerly a chief stewardess, brings her wealth of experience of superyacht service and on-board yacht service training. “With our professional training to guide you on board, you can be sure your standards will be very high, which is absolutely necessary to impress guests.”

For more information, visit Magnums Academy. For more news and yachting tips, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.