Saira Hospitality sets date for new non-profit hotel school

The school aims to “to create a sustainable solution to the UK’s staffing crisis”, as well as continue its work in sourcing and training undiscovered talent from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Launched in 2014, Saira Hospitality has previously created bespoke pop-up schools to provide members of local, less privileged communities with the life, language and industry skills needed to gain long-term employment in the lifestyle and luxury hospitality industry.

Its unconventional approach to recruitment disrupts what it sees as the tradition of importing trained professionals from overseas, large cities and other hotels, rather than educating and empowering local communities into careers in luxury hospitality.

In doing so, the model also conserves training time and salary spending for the hotel, while establishing positive relationships with local communities.

The first permanent school is in east London, and hospitality brands in the capital including The Hoxton, Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, Edyn, Inhabit and Montcalm are already signed up to the programme at a time when the sector is facing an unprecedented staffing crisis due to the pandemic and Brexit.

To offer engaged and trained talent to hotels, Saira Hospitality is partnering with other non-profits, local authorities, and government organisations such as refugee employment charities, youth empowerment groups, mentorship programmes for ex-offenders and other organisations that facilitate meaningful change for socially disadvantaged individuals.

Widening the pool further, Saira is also teaming up with local councils and government organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions to source new talent.

“In the face of the largest staffing crisis hospitality has seen, the need to think differently, as well as collectively as an industry, has never been greater,” said Saira Hospitality’s founder and chief executive Harsha L’Acqua. “We have a unique moment to introduce a new way of hiring to the industry at a time when they are forced to listen, bringing education, employment and opportunities to those who truly need and deserve it.”

The school in Redchurch Street will work off Saira’s established curriculum, developed and endorsed by a board of industry-leading figures and hospitality professionals from companies such as Four Seasons, Ace Hotels and W Hotels.

The programme starts with development of essential soft skills such as cross-cultural communication and self-awareness, before building on the practical skills needed to enter front- and back-of-house roles.

Over the past seven years, Saira has worked alongside Rosewood in the BVIs, Habitas in Namibia and Standard Hotels in Mexico. It said its model has a marked effect on hotel operations, decreasing average staff turnover rates from 60% to just 10% year-on-year.