Why L&D Belongs at the Business Table in Luxury Hospitality with Sarai Jacko of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Sarai Jacko, Regional Director of Training and Development for Southern California of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, joins us to talk about why learning and development has earned a seat at the business table in luxury hospitality. Sarai shares how training investment shows up in guest satisfaction scores, why personalized learning means meeting each colleague where they are and how a Lobby Ambassador initiative keeps non-guest-facing leaders connected to the operation.



Sarai also explains why flexibility and emotional intelligence matter most right now and how she built a quarterly luncheon for fellow luxury hospitality L&D leaders.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Why L&D now has a strong seat at the business table.

02:28 Finding L&D through hotel operations.

04:03 How training shows up in guest satisfaction and the bottom line.

05:57 Why AI will make L&D more personalized.

07:26 Meeting learners where they are.

08:51 Finding time for training in a 24/7 business.

11:59 What the Lobby Ambassador initiative teaches leaders.

14:38 Why flexibility and emotional intelligence matter most.

16:02 Building a quarterly luncheon for L&D peers.

19:00 Books for aspiring L&D leaders.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, the international luxury hotel brand for which Sarai works

Fairmont Century Plaza, the Los Angeles luxury hotel where Sarai leads training and development for the Southern California region

SHRM Foundation, the nonprofit affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management and one of the networks Sarai relies on for industry news

American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), a hospitality networking organization Sarai is active with in Southern California

Century City Chamber of Commerce, the local chamber whose networking events Sarai attends

LinkedIn, a go-to source Sarai uses for industry news and information

ATD International Conference & EXPO, the Association for Talent Development conference Sarai attended in Los Angeles

“Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara, Sarai’s top book pick for anticipatory, personalized service

“Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown, which Sarai’s team draws on in its trainings

OneTreePlanted, TrainingPros’ company charity, which has planted almost 6,000 trees to date

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