Danielle Portelli

Q: Your company focuses strongly on bespoke training
solutions. How important is customised staff training in
today’s hospitality industry compared to standardised
programmes?
A: With guests expecting increasingly personalised
experiences, training should be tailored to an organisation’s
objectives, service culture and clientele. Relevant,
customised training improves engagement and retention —
because one size does not fit all.

Q: Based on your experience working with hotels,
restaurants and other hospitality businesses, what are
the most common service gaps you encounter within
teams today, particularly in Malta?
A: Among the most prevalent service gaps are deficiencies
in interpersonal skills and consistent service. Teams are
multicultural, which brings valuable diversity, but can often
lead to miscommunication and inconsistencies in guest
interactions. Leadership and supervisory skills represent
another significant area for development. Frequently,
hospitality professionals are promoted for their technical
expertise, yet they receive minimal training in leadership,
coaching and team empowerment. In Malta, rapid growth
in tourism and shortages of skilled talent have intensified
these challenges.

Q: How critical is organisational culture in delivering
consistently excellent guest experiences?
A: In hospitality, guests often remember how they were
made to feel rather than the specific products or services
they received. A strong organisational culture creates a
shared understanding of what excellent service looks like
and inspires team members to embody the company’s
values in every interaction. When teams understand
the organisation’s purpose and feel connected to its
values, they develop a deeper sense of commitment and
ownership.

Q: Looking ahead, how do you see hospitality training
evolving over the next five years, particularly with the
increasing role of technology and changing workforce
expectations?
A: The workforce will increasingly expect continuous
development opportunities aligned to career progression.
Organisations must transition from viewing training as
a one-time event and instead create ongoing learning
cultures that drive professional growth. Training for
operational competencies will become more technologyenabled, allowing teams to learn in shorter, flexible
formats. Training for interpersonal skills, such as emotional
intelligence and adaptability, will increase, still requiring
in-person programmes as it is challenging to effectively
replicate these in a virtual setting.