HOTELS


The employment paradox


PETER DUCKER is chief executive officer of the Institute of Hospitality


Bill Shankly hotel plans revealed I


The company behind the opening of the Titanic hotel in Liverpool’s city centre, has proposed plans to rede- velop the council-owned Millennium House to become a Bill Shankly-themed apar- thotel and museum in a £15m ($25m, €18.1m) scheme. Signature Living is pro-


n a recent Financial Times (FT) article, David Fairhurst, chief people officer at McDonald’s Europe, warned that we face a future of stunted growth unless


employers do more to bring marginalised groups such as young people and older workers into the labour force. Fairhurst said McDonald’s is already starting to feel the effects of what he called the ‘workforce cliff.’ “Te workforce is shrinking at both ends


of the spectrum,” he told the FT. “Tere aren’t enough young people coming into the labour market and too many older people are leaving it.” His comments coincide with a report by the European Commission that says that aſter 2021 the European workforce is set to shrink by about 0.5 per cent each year. So why is McDonald’s unable to attract


staff when there is high unemployment across Europe, particularly amongst the young? One answer may be that people, what-


ever their age, simply do not want to work for McDonald’s. But then recruitment prob- lems are reported by companies of all types. So where does the problem lie? Many in


our industry think it is with young people themselves because they don’t have the same work ethic as previous generations. In a sur- vey on the Big Hospitality website, the largest number of respondents (41 per cent) placed the blame with young people, compared to 20 per cent who thought business owners needed to be more proactive in attracting young talent and 17 per cent who thought that our education system was to blame. The contributing factors to our skills


shortages and high youth unemployment are varied and complex. One factor is that vocational jobs continue to be seen as lower in status in our society. But blaming young people is not going to help. Once we have successfully attracted new


entrants, we need to nurture them, motivate them and support them with career-long learning, giving them a feeling of belonging and a sense of identity. Tis is the support that we provide to our members. Joining the Institute of Hospitality also makes good finan- cial sense; according to research, members of professional institutes earn 37 per cent more over their lifetimes than those who are not.


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posing a 250-bedroom hotel, complete with a museum ded- icated to Shankly and 17,500sq ſt (1,625sq m) of office space. Te building would house


Bill Shankly is regarded as one of the greatest ever football managers


Signature Living’s head office, while the Lifestyles Gym currently based in the property would undergo an expansion and be leased back by the council under the proposals. Bill Shankly was a Scottish footballer and


manager and is best known for his time manag- ing Liverpool, which he led to 11 titles including three first division wins in the 1960s and 70s. “Liverpool’s sporting heritage is celebrated


throughout the world, but we do not have a major football attraction in the city centre,” said Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson. “Tese proposals would change that, pro- viding a permanent tribute to one of our most


famous footballing heroes, filling a gap within our tourism market, and attracting visitors from across the globe. “Tis really is something people would not be


able to experience anywhere else in the world. A hotel celebrating the life and times of Bill Shankly would complement the raſt of cultural attrac- tions on the William Brown Street, and further boost our tourism offer in this part of the city.” Plans were discussed at a council cab-


inet meeting on 4 April with a planning application to be lodged later this month. Details: http://lei.sr?a=Q6e5Q


Andy Murray’s luxury Scottish hotel opens


Andy Murray’s Cromlix luxury hotel in Perthshire, Scotland, has opened for business following the tennis player’s £1.8m purchase of the property in February 2013. The five-star Cromlix


Hotel, located near Murray’s home town of Dunblane, features five suites, ten bed- rooms, a chapel, reception hall, two drawing rooms, a conservatory, library and meeting rooms. There is also the Chez Roux restau- rant overseen by French chef Albert Roux and run by award-winning executive head chef Darin Campbell, offering locally-sourced produce. In addition, the site boasts landscaped


Te five-star Cromlix Hotel has opened its doors following a refurbishment “Te Cromlix is bound to be a huge draw for


grounds, plus a tennis court and practice wall in the Wimbledon colours of purple and green. “We are delighted that one of our greatest


sportsmen – Andy Murray – has entered the tourism game and I’m sure he will be a ter- rific ambassador for the industry,” said Mike Cantalay, chair for VisitScotland.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


visitors from all over the world, generating the kind of excitement that Andy creates on court. I am positive this venture will be a resounding success and we wish the team all the very best.” Cromlix House was built in 1874 as the


family home for the Edens, who own the sur- rounding 2,000 acre estate. Te hotel is being managed by Inverlochy Castle


Management International and has created 40 new jobs for the area. Details: http://lei.sr?a=F3Y3D


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


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