04/01/2024

Raffles Hotel Singapore Appointed as SkillsFuture Queen Bee to Enhance Skills and Elevate Service Standards in the Hotel and Accommodation Sector

Raffles Hotel Singapore has been appointed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee¹. The two-year partnership aims to empower Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the Hotel and Accommodation sector to build up their skills capabilities, so as to achieve higher service standards and to enable business transformation.

As an industry leader in the Hotel and Accommodation sector, Raffles Hotel Singapore was appointed as SkillsFuture Queen Bee for its recognised capabilities in service excellence and willingness to support the local business ecosystem. Among other accolades, the Hotel is ranked No. 17 in 2023 on the inaugural “The World’s 50 Best Hotels” list, which recognises hotels across the world for their outstanding and best-in-class experiences.

Comprehensive Upskilling Framework & Curated Skills-Based Training Programmes to Help SMEs Build Capabilities

Under this partnership, Raffles Hotel Singapore will introduce a comprehensive upskilling framework to help SMEs put in place a customer-centric business model, to better adapt and thrive in the evolving hospitality landscape. The framework also aims to guide SMEs in developing proof-of-concepts for innovative products and services, as part of their business transformation. The framework focuses on:

1. Product Innovation – Enabling the development and implementation of new or improved product offerings.
2. Service Innovation – Encouraging the development and introduction of new or enhanced customer services.
3. Productivity – Improving resource efficacy, to provide quality services and maximise output.

As the job roles and work processes evolve, SME employees will need to acquire the relevant skills. Through this framework, Raffles Hotel Singapore will support participating SMEs to develop skills-learning roadmaps for their employees. Besides sharing its best practices, Raffles Hotel Singapore will conduct bespoke training programmes, covering personalised customer service, wine service, pastry and baking service, and floristry. These will be conducted in-house by the Hotel’s subject matter experts. Raffles Hotel Singapore will mentor the participating SMEs as they progressively upskill their employees.

Raffles Hotel Singapore will also work with learning partners such as the Polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education, and the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE) led by Nanyang Polytechnic to curate customised learning solutions for the participating SMEs. These will cover key areas such as service and product innovation, digitalisation, and workplace learning. It will serve as the bridge between the SMEs and the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) to facilitate collaboration in industry innovation projects.

Mr Christian Westbeld, Managing Director of Raffles Hotel Singapore said, “With international travel and tourism making a strong comeback to pre-pandemic levels and heightened global competition among destinations, Singapore's Hotel and Accommodation Services sector must evolve to provide fresh experiences for guests to maintain its competitiveness. At Raffles Hotel Singapore, we believe that sharing knowledge is imperative to the success of any organisation, and this SkillsFuture Queen Bee programme will assist and potentially equip SMEs with the skills and expertise necessary to achieve different and new heights.”

Mr Tan Kok Yam, Chief Executive of SSG, said, “SSG is very pleased to partner Raffles Hotel Singapore. I urge SMEs in the Hotel and Accommodation sector to make full use of the Hotel’s role as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee. SMEs should leverage on the Hotel’s considerable wealth of knowledge and expertise in service excellence and innovation, to refresh their business models and upskill their employees. This will strengthen the sector and keep our workforce resilient.”

Raffles Hotel Singapore targets to benefit at least 40 SMEs per year over a two-year period under this partnership, including ibis Singapore Novena. Its Operation Manager, Ms Yen Josephine Lui said, “We are excited to be a part of Raffles Hotel Singapore’s SkillsFuture Queen Bee programme as it will be a game-changer in our efforts to upskill ibis Singapore Novena employees and transform our business. The Skills Manager at Raffles Hotel Singapore has also arranged a partnership with one of the Institutes of Higher Learning to facilitate digital innovation projects for the hotel.”

¹ The SkillsFuture Queen Bees are industry leaders who take on a leading role to upskill and reskill Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in their ecosystem and sector and provide support in identifying and acquiring required skills for business transformation.