SAN FRANCISCO—Can you imagine walking into a hotel and the first person you encounter is a front-desk clerk with a sour look on his or her face? Or, maybe you are walking through a guest-room corridor and bump into a housekeeper who is muttering about how much he or she hates the job? Those two scenarios are far from what a hotel operator or manager would want to see from staff members because they reflect poorly on the property. Plus, a happy hotel staff is likely a productive hotel staff.
The effort to keep employees happy could involve something as simple as celebrating birthdays or scheduling a company outing. And, it could be more involved like creating an incentive program for those who receive high grades in customer reviews.
Hyatt Hotels of the Bay Area—a group of three properties here consisting of the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Hyatt Regency San Francisco – Embarcadero and the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport—gets the job done when it comes to the happiness of its employees, according to a survey conducted by the San Francisco Business Times. The company ranked fourth on the publication’s “Best Places to Work 2015: Largest Companies” list, finishing higher than any other hotel entity in the poll.
“It is such an honor to be named the number four employer and top hotel on the list,” said Michael Jokovich, area VP for Northern California at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, who leads the group out of his office at Grand Hyatt San Francisco. “At Hyatt Hotels of the Bay Area—and throughout Hyatt hotels worldwide—we are constantly innovating to offer the best employee experience possible through a vibrant culture that celebrates accomplishments, offers new experiences, and encourages personal and professional growth. We’re so proud to have this genuine Hyatt spirit recognized by one of the city’s top publications.”
According to the San Francisco Business Times, the list honors exceptional workplaces that prioritize practices, culture and values that drive employee engagement. The rankings were determined by online surveys filled out by employees at companies based in counties throughout the Bay Area.
“The process begins with open nominations, where any company can be nominated by any individual. This year, the San Francisco Business Times received more than 500 nominations,” said Jokovich, who noted that his group ranked seventh on the list last year. “The San Francisco Business Times then distributed surveys directly to employees of companies that were in consideration for this award. Each company was ranked by employees on a variety of criteria—including best practices, culture and incentives—and received a numeric score out of 100.”
Hyatt Hotels of the Bay Area received a score of 88.91. Only Workday, Inc. (92.83), an on-demand financial management and human capital management software vendor located in Pleasanton; social network LinkedIn (92.63), headquartered in Mountain View; and San Francisco-based customer relationship management firm Salesforce (89.95), finished ahead of the hotel group on this year’s list. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, with a score of 88.89, finished just behind Hyatt in the number-five spot, while the San Francisco division of Starwood Hotels and Resorts (84.69) at number 11 and Commune Hotels & Resorts (84.00) at number 12 were the only other hospitality companies to make the list.
Connecting with employees on a personal level helps in maintaining positive morale, and Jokovich noted that his team tries to go out of its way to make each staff member of the three hotels feel special.
“As a brand, we are always making sure that our employees know they are valued through a variety of programs: We recognize milestone anniversaries of every employee; we reward successes hotel-wide, by department and on a personalized, individual basis; and we have outstanding benefits,” he said.
If a correlation can be made between employees’ happiness and the company’s bottom line, then Hyatt Hotels Corporation is doing things right. According to its financial report for the first quarter of 2015, RevPAR for comparable full-service hotels in the Americas—the segment all three of the Bay Area properties fall under—increased 7.5% compared to the same period in 2014. Occupancy increased 160 basis points and ADR increased 5.3% compared to the same period in 2014.
More than 1,200 people combined staff the three properties, each of which has its own distinct features. The Grand Hyatt San Francisco is a 660-room hotel located in Union Square that offers its guests a private Grand Club; a Les Clef d’Or Concierge staff; meeting space on the 36th floor that features panoramic views of the city; and San Francisco’s only conference theater.
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco – Embarcadero is situated across from the popular Ferry Building Marketplace. It is set at the beginning of the California Street Cable line, and is within walking distance of the Financial District, Chinatown, North Beach, Union Square and AT&T Park. The 802-room hotel is the city’s largest luxury waterfront property, according to the company.
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport is located less than five minutes from San Francisco International Airport and offers a complimentary trolley for guests to travel around the Burlingame area.
At all three properties, guests and employees are treated like family, according to Jokovich. “Overall, Hyatt Hotels of the Bay Area reflect our community—we are diverse, open to new things and all ideas, exciting, fun and culturally driven,” he said. “Our hotels help employees and guests stay connected to who and what matters most. We thrive on learning and developing our leaders, and we care for people so they can be their best.” HB