Tech to Play Major Role in Motel 6/Studio 6 Training Efforts

Motel 6 and Studio 6 are revamping their training framework, a vital component of the goal to improve quality and consistency within the network.

 

“After a record-breaking period of growth during the last three years, we are taking a closer look at where we can further improve, which has led to our refocused emphasis on quality and consistency,” says Olivier Poirot, CEO of Accor North America, Motel 6 and Studio 6. “We know that the quality and consistency of our network are a direct result of our great people and the training, development and tools we give them to get the job done.”

 

The Motel 6 network training approach is simple and doubles as its motto: “Learn – Grow – Develop.” The notion is for team members to learn their current role; grow in their current role and develop for future roles. The goal of the new training structure is to focus on the development of Motel 6/Studio 6 team members, ensuring they understand the “why” behind each course and providing them with supportive coaching along the way to successfully accomplish both their business and personal development objectives.

 

The new training strategy focuses on various facets including technology, custom content, professional development, certification programs, management training, leadership training, tools and resources. The new online learning tool, called iLearn@6, is accessible 24 hours a day to deliver training and provides instant reporting to supervisors. The training platform includes content that is custom-designed for specific Motel 6 network operations and features more than 200 professional development courses and certification programs designed for key roles. Tools such as reference and coaching guides are all available on the iLearn@6 platform, alongside standard operating procedures, manuals and other helpful resources. Each of the training programs fits into an overall career path for team members who can achieve certification in one role before preparing to advance to another role.

 

The emphasis on quality and consistency has also led to new ways of integrating subsidiary operations with franchise operations to maximize brand cohesiveness. To this aim, training has been redesigned so that new subsidiary and franchise managers will now share in the training process together, maximizing the opportunity for collaboration and expertise-sharing within the group.

 

The training program revamp has already yielded success for the brands. The Green Key certification online course on iLearn@6 was designed to walk general managers through the Green Key certification self-assessment, explaining the relevance and value of the environmental certification for their property prior to their completion the official self-assessment. Properties whose managers took the online course prior to completing the self-assessment scored higher on the assessment compared to those that forewent the course.