St Giles’ Hotels with Heart Foundation will offer hospitality training to 20 rough sleepers in London this month, as part of its ongoing commitment to support its local community.
The charitable initiative has partnered with non-profit Saira Hospitality to deliver the potentially life-changing programme for individuals temporarily being housed at its Bloomsbury hotel. Saira Hospitality migrated its pop-up hospitality school concept to London in 2022 following seven years of operating in destinations such as Namibia, Mexico, BVI and the US.
Participants in The Academy will undergo a four-week training course in April and May, covering a number of hospitality-focused life skills, including communication, leadership and emotional intelligence.
As well as receiving lessons in a classroom setting, candidates will complete work placements with leading hospitality employers including Z hotels, Marriott, Travelodge and Accor. These companies have also pledged to provide career mentorship and guaranteed job interviews to participants after the programme ends. Students will also take a walking tour of Saira Hospitality’s London hotel partners, visiting various properties and experiencing different styles of guest service.
Hotels with Heart Foundation and Saira Hospitality said they are also actively looking for additional hospitality partners who wish to support The Academy initiative, whether by offering work experience, job interviews or memorable experiences for candidates during the programme.
Hotels with Heart is sponsoring the cost of the initiative via funds generated from its Regenerative Hospitality Campaign, which pledges to raise £1 million to benefit local communities.
The school will also utilise Saira Hospitality’s global partnership with eCornell, the digital learning platform of internationally renowned hotel school Cornell University, to provide certified credentials to all students. There will also be support in creating CVs, to empower learners who may have lacked typical experience or access to education to demonstrate their skillset effectively.
“At St Giles Hotels, we are committed not just to giving back, but more importantly to devote our time, passion, and resources to play our part in improving the communities and ecosystems which sustain and support our hotels and our St Giles family,” Abigail Tan, chief executive of St Giles UK, Europe and America. “Tackling the challenges surrounding homelessness and rough sleeping has been at the core of our purpose, and we are immensely proud and honoured to be launching the St Giles Hospitality Academy in partnership with Saira Hospitality, to play our part in helping get people back into meaningful work and fulfilling a goal of making a positive impact on society and especially the individuals we help.”
