Sally Grummitt checks out a hotel with a reputation for fine service

Old-fashioned values are what help keep one luxury town house hotel thriving in the modern world.

Management at One Devonshire Gardens pride themselves on personal service in relaxed and comfortable surroundings. And the key to this is a friendly and attentive staff, an asset they decided to develop four years ago through IIP.

It was established in 1986 but ''without our staff, One Devonshire Gardens would be just another heartless building'', said Mark Calpin, deputy general manager. ''The staff are the hotel's life force and provide it with personality and character.

''We decided to work toward IIP as a positive endorsement of our policy to train and develop our staff. We've had a lot of recognition for the service the hotel provides to its guests. One Devonshire Gar-

dens was the best place to stay - but we also wanted to make it an excellent place to work.''

The flexibility of the IIP framework enabled the company to adopt and adapt its principles within the working environment of a hotel. The degree of cultural change required by the process did cause an initial problem, however.

''The original timescale for achieving the award was 12 months,'' said Calpin. ''This had to be reviewed over the course of the year as we learnt more about IIP's requirements and discovered we had been over-optimistic.

''We had to allow more time for changes to become embedded within the organisational culture - this is a factor many organisations overlook when estimating timescales. An appraisal system has to be introduced almost immediately, but it takes time for this to become an everyday part of an operation.''

Several changes were implemented and new procedures were introduced as soon as possible so that the hotel could progress toward its goal. Staff were able to see that they were involved in a genuine process - and one which concentrated on their training and development.

''We wanted the value of every member of staff to be understood,'' said Calpin. ''This process engendered more effective teamwork and enabled us to work together toward one goal. A specific reason for working toward accreditation was to reduce staff turnover and improve morale and loyalty.''

One Devonshire's expectations were met, and it ach-

ieved accreditation 16 months later. Human resource policies have undergone a sig-

nificant change and the hotel management thinks it has been a worthwhile process. ''Staff are contented and provide a consistent and high quality service,'' said Calpin.

Indeed, since 1995 there has been a notable rise in guest appreciation, borne out by the complimentary letters which mention, in particular, the impressive level of service provided by staff.

The hotel is aiming for reassessment which it hopes to achieve later this year.

''We want to continue to cultivate a good industry name for looking after and developing our staff,'' said Calpin. ''IIP has provided us with a sound and stable framework on which we can build.

''It creates a business-driven personnel philosophy. When your business becomes focused this way the working environment improves.''