PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Weaver, Melony Ritter
(501) 760.6410 office
press@np.edu

August 18, 2016

HOTEL HOT SPRINGS INVESTS IN EMPLOYEE TRAINING

Hot Springs, Arkansas – National Park College (NPC) Community and Corporate Training Division is partnering with The Hotel Hot Springs to offer employee training in customer service, ethics and leadership.

Since its grand opening in April 2016, NPC has hosted six separate classes for The Hotel Hot Springs. The staff completed a Leadership Series which included a Stepping Up to Supervisor class for new leaders, a team building workshop, and a time management class to help spur productivity. They also completed classes in successful negotiations and CPR certification.

Hotel Hot Springs employees Workforce Specialist, Barry Ballard said, “We are very excited to be a training partner with the new Hotel Hot Springs and provide leadership and hospitality professional development. It is clear they are working very hard to move to the next level and want to provide their staff with the tools to reach that goal.”

“Team building allowed us the opportunity to reflect on how all of the departments in the hotel work as a whole. It allowed us to spend some quality time with peers from other departments, and learn more about how we can best work together moving forward,” said Kayla Kesterson, Hotel Sales Manager.

Human Resources Manager for The Hotel Hot Springs, Amanda Baird attended the NPC Hospitality and Tourism program as a student. She added, “The Hotel Hot Springs’ management team is thrilled have the opportunity to utilize NPC’s outstanding resources to develop our staff. Not only do we see excellent results in the employees’ improved customer service skills, but we also notice that it boosts morale. We look forward to working with NPC more in the future.”

Vashti OrtizVashti Ortiz, is a cook at The Hotel Hot Springs and a graduate of NPC’s Hospitality and Tourism program. Ortiz said, “As a professional cook, I don’t want to creatively conform to what I have learned from a text book. Hotel Hot Springs partnering with National Park has allowed me to continue my education at work and put it to use. The classes get the staff motivated so we can put out an excellent product for our guests. Because that’s what we do.”  

The Hotel Hot Springs plans to schedule a Hospitality Essentials Series that consists of classes in customer service, conflict management, and ethics and professionalism. The goal of the training is to increase customer satisfaction which results in increased productivity and profits and leads to greater job satisfaction for employees.

Photo 1: The Hotel Hot Springs employees pictured left to right, Karen Hale, Assistant Executive Housekeeper, Raymon Lancaster, Engineering Technician, Nicholas Hoop, Assistant General Manager and Amanda Baird, Human Resources Manager.

Photo 2: The Hotel Hot Springs Cook and NPC Hospitality and Tourism graduate, Vashti Ortiz in the hotel restaurant.