An interview series exploring the magic behind the culture at Starwood Hotels
ENJOY YOUR STAY!
About this Project:“Enjoy Your Stay”
MY CONNECTION TO THIS STORY…
I started working at Starwood Hotels in 2011 as my second job after college. I left the company in 2016 in the middle of its acquisition by Marriott Hotels. Since that time, I went on to work at a variety of startups and get my Masters in Social-Organizational Psychology before launching my own coaching & consulting business, Reworkit.
As an experienced Career Coach at Reworkit, I am constantly in conversation with disillusioned employees who are unhappy in their jobs and wish to find a new place to work. The number of ways that companies have disappointed their employees is many, which is what influences the other part of my job where I work with companies to become a better place to work.
A CURIOSITY LEADS TO AN IDEA…
Over the years since 2016, I’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with many former Starwood colleagues. And what I found curious is that all of them seemed to miss working at Starwood and continue to talk about the great culture at the company. Knowing from my Career Coaching work that this is not normally how people talk about their prior work experiences, it made me curious…what was it that was so special about Starwood’s culture that created a cult of employee loyalty?
From that question, this project was born. “Enjoy Your Stay” is an interview series where I talk with former Starwood employees to understand their experience working for the company and how it compares with other workplaces. I hope to discover and distill down the secret to building a company that cultivates strong employee loyalty in hopes that we can share those secrets with other companies who wish to do the same.
Theme: Investing in Training Employees Actually Want
Imagine a world in which a company announces the next class of leadership training will be rolling out soon and employees are clamoring to get into it. At Starwood, this wasn’t a dream, but a reality. Here’s how one company invested in employee development through training and it became the highlight of many employee’s careers.
Theme: Rejecting the Hierarchy
At some companies, title equates to power. If you don’t have the right title, you lack access to key meetings & information, you lack autonomy to do your work, and you lack authority to make decisions. But what happens if an organization rejects the hierarchy by ignoring formal titles and instead values ideas and expertise? Well, at Starwood Hotels it created a culture where employees, especially junior team members, could grow and learn.
Theme: Cultivating Collaboration
In this series, “Enjoy Your Stay”, I interview various former Starwood Hotel employees to try to understand the magic behind the company’s culture. The theme we will explore is all about how cultivating a culture of collaboration created a friendly, supportive, and fun environment at Starwood Hotels.
Theme: Opportunity for Equal Career Development and Advancement
In this series, “Enjoy Your Stay”, I interview various former Starwood Hotel employees to try to understand the magic behind the company’s culture. The theme we will explore is all about how career advancement and development opportunities play a role in driving employee loyalty.