Hi! managers: Hotelier tells secret of how she recruits

Lourdes Yuvanasiri, director of human resources at the Conrad Hotel in Bangkok, has an unconventional approach to recruiting staff for her hotel - she goes out and does it herself.

In fact, in her 15 years of working in human resources with five-star hotels such as the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Shangri-La and now the Conrad, Lourdes has spurned traditional methods of recruiting, such as using head-hunters or advertising in the newspaper, in favour of her own resourcefulness to find bright talent.

"One of the best ways to hire the right people is to do it myself," said Lourdes, who has worked at the Conrad since its opening in 1993. "So I make it a point to visit other hotels and restaurants from time to time and observe their staff. Then I target and approach the ones who I think provide great service."

Lourdes's commitment to finding talent is refreshing, especially in an era when executives drone on and on about how important people are, yet still seem to lack a sense of ownership about creating dramatic improvements.

If people are so important, then leaders should take greater personal interest in building their company's talent pool.

What makes Lourdes so effective is that she understands what the Conrad brand stands for, and recognises the type of people who can bring it alive. Observing candidates performing on the job provides added insight.

"We are looking for staff who are vibrant, engaging and reflect the contemporary, service-oriented image of our hotel," she said. "It's difficult to explain, but I know it when I see it."

It pays to be on the lookout for talent all the time. For example, last year during a flight from Los Angeles to Manila, Lourdes read in the society section of a local Manila newspaper that a five-star hotel in Manila had just been renovated. As part of that story, there was a picture of the hotel staff.

"My gut instinct told me that several of the people in the picture had the look and poise and could potentially work well at the Conrad," she said.

So when she arrived in Manila, she changed her plans and checked into that hotel. She found out who those staff were and spent the afternoon observing how they interacted with guests.

Once she had a sense for who was providing exceptional service, she invited the best candidates to the Conrad in Bangkok for more in-depth interviews and subsequent job offers.

"Having great service is what our hotel is all about," she said. "So we can't settle for second best when it comes to recruiting staff."

LARRY CHAO is managing director of Chao Group, a strategic organisation change and training consulting company with bases in Bangkok and New York.