Leadership training for European hotel chain

Case study

Following a successful partnership running a Finance for Non-Finance Managers' short course, PPHE Hotel Group approached Kingston Business School to help develop the leadership skills of their senior leaders and managers across Europe. A two-day leadership strategy programme was put together which consisted of a mixture of academic input delivered by Kingston University, Merlin Consultancy, and sessions with actors from a theatre group.

The theoretical sessions focused on understanding the skills, competencies and behaviours of a successful PPHE Hotel Group leader. Small groups worked together in 'action learning sets' on an assignment after the workshop prepared a 15-minute presentation to peers and seniors. The course was run both in Amsterdam and London.

"We have experienced our partnership with Kingston University as a very positive one so without doubt we would like to explore other opportunities for the future with you," said Jaklien van Sterkenburg, Vice President People Development and HR, PPHE Hotels Group.

PPHE Hotel Group is a pan-European hospitality company with a portfolio of 38 high quality hotels and resorts, primarily located in Europe. The majority of the Group's hotels operate under two distinct brands, Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts and art'otel®. The Company has an exclusive licence from CarlsonSM, a global privately held hospitality and travel company, to develop and operate Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The art'otel® brand is fully owned by the Group. The Group has a minority ownership interest in the Arenaturist group, one of Croatia's leading hospitality companies.