To state the obvious the economy is on everyone's mind and is an ongoing cause of deep and profound stress for many around the globe. Both employers and employees within our industry are affected by this world recession.  So how do we take this stress and turn it into a positive? Where do we look for silver linings?

Interestingly, one of the developments we have observed in both private households and the hospitality industry is a trend towards training and cross-training of current employees. Hotels and private households are anxious to upgrade and diversify the skill sets of their employees so that productivity can be increased through efficiency.  Cross training of existing staff is an effective way of bridging the gaps that can develop when an organization downsizes or places a freeze on new hiring.  In turn, an employee who is able to multi-task in various roles is a tremendous asset to any hotel or private family.

Related to the trend towards training has been an increased level of interest in education and professional development. Those of us who are able to take advantage of periods of low employment with education to facilitate a career change are very well positioned when the economy turns around. We have noticed, for example, that inquiries into the Charles MacPherson Academy for Butlers and Household Managers have spiked and that applicants are coming from diverse backgrounds. Re-tooling is on many people's minds.
 
It is said that economic downturns present opportunities to savvy and creative businesses and individuals. I strongly agree with the sentiment... And I'm not just looking for silver linings.

We are now accepting applications for our next program which commences on Monday, May 25 for an 8 week period.  Our goal is to turn out skilled professionals who meet the private service and luxury hospitality demands of the 21st century.

The full program covers 23 separate subject areas from Butler Skills, Etiquette & Protocol and Event Planning right through to Table Setting, Wine Knowledge. Human Resources and Basic Accounting.

Please ask about our flexible payment terms.

For full details and application form please visit the Academy link on our web site.

Charles MacPherson Associates is pleased to announce a new training program for the hospitality sector. The program can be customized for individual hospitality clients and is specifically designed for hotels, resorts and private clubs.

The program which is delivered at the client site covers such topics as Standards, Cleaning Tools and Methods, Interacting with hotel guests, Supervisory issues, and Housekeeper team dynamics.

Please contact us to discuss how we can assist you take your housekeeper team to an optimal level of service at 416-369-1146

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We have recently introduced Etiquette for Children. 

We attended an Anniversary Gala on March 22, 2209 to help the Toronto Filipino community celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Philippine Reporter.  Charles MacPherson Associates takes deep pride in supporting our client and candidate communities.

 

We are pleased to announce that Melissa Joseph has joined Charles MacPherson Associates as Marketing and Administrative Coordinator. Melissa was most recently Bespoke Coordinator with Butterfield & Robinson, a premier luxury active-travel company. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in English and Italian.

 

This year the Restoring The Art Conference (RTA) will be held in Denver, Colorado on May 14th - 16th.  Currently this is the only industry conference and so we believe it is important to support this conference as a platform to meet others within the industry, exchange ideas, learn up and coming best practices while also learning how our industry of Household Management and Butlering is progressing.

What makes this particular conference different from past years is the addition of the Butlering world with Household Managers.  This is a great idea!  We welcome this industry collaboration!

For additional information contact the RTA hotline at (303) 832-5510

 

Today we would like to highlight our Placement practice that offers premium search and recruiting services within the luxury residential and hospitality markets.  We specialize in the placement of key personnel positions like Estate & House Managers, Butlers, Private Chefs, Executive Housekeepers, Chauffeurs and more.

Contact Information


Toronto:
507 King Street East
Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1M3
CANADA

(416) 369-1146 office
(416) 369-1743 facsimile

New York:
134 West 82 Street
Suite 3B
New York, New York 10024
United States

(212) 877-6962 office
(917) 441-0064 facsimile