Travelodge SWOT Analysis and Professional Development

The assignment assesses Travelodge's SWOT analysis, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. It also emphasizes the importance of behavioral interviews in selecting employees who can increase revenue and profit by serving best services to customers. Furthermore, it discusses the benefits of professional development plans for employees, including enhancing skills and improving customer service.

PERSONAL IDENTITY
AND PRACTICE

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Key benefits of on going professional development for different stakeholders within a
specific organisation....................................................................................................................3
P2 Expectations of professional employers of skills and competencies.....................................4
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................5
P3 Assess own abilities, skills and competencies for specific job role.......................................5
P4 Range of learning theories and approaches used in personal and professional development
process ........................................................................................................................................7
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................8
P5 Development plan to enhance skills and competencies.........................................................8
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................10
P6 job interview for suitable service industry...........................................................................10
P7 Key strengths and weaknesses of applied interview process...............................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Personal and professional development plan is a formal way that help the individuals to
make and set out the goals, strategies and outcome of learning and training. This may be in
alignment with the professional programme, which is to be make and written to meet the
requirements of the job role and understand the entire job role by enhancing their necessary
skills. This professional development help to enhance the quality of an individual within the
organisation and turn their dreams and aspiration into reality and establishing the aims and goals
for what is to be achieve. Report is based on the Travelodge Hotel which provides facility of
accommodation to people in sophisticated town of Ilford and aims at motivating and encouraging
employees so that they develop their personal and professional skills.
Report will include the key benefits of the on going professional development for
different stakeholders. This will also include the employer's expectations of skills and
competencies. Further ore this will include the self assessment of the ability, skills and
competencies for specific job and review the learning theory and approaches that is used for
personal and professional development. This report will also explain the plans that enhance the
skills and competencies within specific work. Further more will include the interview for
hospitality service industry. And review key strengths and weakness of the interview process.
LO 1
P1 Key benefits of on going professional development for different stakeholders within a
specific organisation.
Continues on going professional development is very important for the Travelodge hotel
to ensure the continues improvement in the professional career as it helps to enhance their skills
and abilities. It is continues and and an ongoing process throughout the career. On going
professional training is beneficial for all the stakeholders of the Travelodge Hotel organisation
to enhance the skills and understanding of job role in the hospitality industry to make their
customers satisfy and fulfil their need by offering best service of their value. There are many
benefits of the on going professional development plan that can be positive influence in the
workplace (Egert, Fukkink and Eckhardt, 2018).
Build confidence and credibility – This on going training development plan in the Travelodge
Hotel increase the confidence in the employees for their work and job role. No one is perfect, for

make them in their specific job role on going professional development helps and fill the gap of
missing skills regarding their job. If organisation will provide this on going development,
employees will become more confident and trustworthy for their job and can do any kind of
service.
Increase Retention - On going professional development helps in increasing the retention in the
Travelodge Hotel. As some organisation cutting off this development plan in their organisation
for saving the cost where, if the organisation provide this development plan for the employees
that will show that the Travelodge Hotel is taking care of their worker and are interested in
keeping them in the organisation for longer term (Hamilton, 2018). Even investors would also t
like to work with Travelodge.
Improved efficiency - This professional development plan is not only enhance and improve the
skills. ability and competencies of the employees of the Travelodge but also help and give the
opportunities to them to learn new things, skills in the training from others. As the professionals
shares their view and experiences, staff of Travelodge can pick them and can improve their
productivity in the job role. And also with this increase the share of the shareholders.
Increase the productivity – On going professional development program increase the
productivity of the Travelodge Hotel. As with the help of this development program employees
get confident and learn new skills and experience then they work effectively for the customers
and guests this will increase the number of guests in the organisation.
P2 Expectations of professional employers of skills and competencies
Managers always try to hire those people for Travelodge Hotel that can help the
organisation to save money and provide the best cost effective value to their customers. And help
to increase productivity of the Travelodge, that can help all the stakeholders and increase the
profit share of the organisation (Heron, Kinchin and Medland, 2018). There are view
characteristics as according to the hospitality industry that the employer looking for:
Positive attitude - Attitude is the thing which can be easily seen and judge through the
behaviour and communication of the individuals. In the Travelodge Hotel, attitude play a vital
role that every employee have to interact with each other and wither guests, customers and other
clients. Employer of the Travelodge Hotel expects this major characteristics of positive attitude
for their hotel.

Reliability – Employer always expect from an employee to be reliable and responsible, so that
the manger of the Travelodge can be assign any important work and serious responsibility to
them and able to handle those task and responsibility. Other words employer expect a
trustworthy reliable and responsible employee who is able to deal any situation and can do any
kind of work (Illeris, 2018).
Communication – Another but most important and necessary requirements is the
communication skill. As the hospitality industry mainly depends on the communication with
clients, customers and guests. In the Travelodge Hotel employers expect the good and effective
communication skill that is polite which can attract the guests and helps to maintain the
relationship with them. Communication help the employee to deal with the customers and can be
impressed by their communication and like to visit again.
Proactive – Other main skill that an employer expect from their employee to be proactive.
Which means employee of the Travelodge should be like that they can handle any situation and
task own by own without helping of their superior (Iyasere and et.al., 2016). Employee should
have the active mind and potential that can handle any sudden situation arise in the Travelodge
hotel. This help managers of Travelodge, that they can focus on other work of the Hotel and can
deal with other guests too.
There are many other characteristics that the employers of the hotel expect from their
employees like, proactive, accept feedback, willingness to learn, corporation, managing conflicts,
customer services and many more that will necessary to operate in the hotel industry to serve the
best service to their guests and cutters and give the best value services to them (Hilton and et.al.,
2016).
LO 2
P3 Assess own abilities, skills and competencies for specific job role
Assessment is the evaluation of the the potential, goal, activity and the performance. It is
a tool that involved in he business activity of the organisation which help to identify and
mirroring their own ability to do any work (Bull and et.al., 2016). Its has been done in order to
identify own skill, ability and competencies using the various self assessment methods and
techniques. This process and assessment is to be done to measure the recently have skills and
knowledge of the employees and also identify those skills and ability what is needed for the job

role and in their personal development which can help to improve their skill and competencies.
For the self assessment SWOT analysis is to be applied which help to identify the strengths,
weakness of the HR manager of the Travelodge hotel and also determine what will be the
opportunities in the business and the outside market and what threats may come in way of grow
more. This assessment also help to recognise that what skills and ability need to be added in their
job role that can help the HR manager to enhance its ability and competencies and with this how
can they help to in crease the productivity of the Travelodge. Following is the skill assessment of
Travelodge Hotel.
Strengths
 Strong leadership ability
 Effective communication skill
 Strong network
 Good management skill
 Proactive
 Highly dedicated and committed
Weaknesses
 Lack of adequate recognition
 Insufficient supervision and direction
 Low level of experience
 Weak to handle risk
Opportunities
 Effective communication can help to
make new and strong relation in the
Travelodge and outside the workplace
as well.
 Du to proactive skill can get the better
opportunity in the Travelodge to grow
more (Gürel and Tat, 2017).
 Commitment and dedication can help
HR manager to handle other big and
critical condition in the business and
outside world in the personal life as
well.
 Strong networking can provide the
opportunities to get the job in the other
Threats
 Lack of recognition ability can affect
the business of the Travelodge that not
able to recognise effective employee.
 Low experience of the HR management
create problem in working operation of
the HR in Travelodge.
 Low direction and supervision also may
create the problem to direct the
employees and because of this
employees would not get their goal
(Bull and et.al., 2016).

big organisation.
P4 Range of learning theories and approaches used in personal and professional development
process
There are many learning theories and approaches of the professional and personal
development of an individual which help the individual to enhance their skills, ability and
competencies through various ways. These approaches provide the different ways to developing
personal and professional competencies that can help the employee to work well in the
Travelodge hotel (Iyasere and et.al., 2016). These theories are also be applied by the HR
manager of the Travelodge hotel to make improvement in their skills. These theories determines
how and from where an individual can get the knowledge for their improvement. These theories
are:
Learning theory for professional development
Networked learning theory – This networked learning theory help to make connection and
learning among the individuals. It is the theory which is based on to make connection and
relation with others within the organisation and out world as well to get the best knowledge,
information and experience through the communication. This communication help the individual
and support them in their learning. If the employees of the Travelodge have the strong network
then it will help the Travelodge to get the more customers and also help in getting any kind of
help (Hilton and et.al., 2016). With the help of the strong network HR manager of the
Travelodge get the opportunities to learn more from the other view and experience, this help to
in HR operations. Different people have their different skills and experience, individual can get
those skills and experience through communicate and to make network with them and enhance
their skills, ability and competencies.
situated learning theory – As this theory's name shows it is based on the situation and how
people react and behave in that particular situation. This situated learning theory emphasizing the
socio cultural activity of the individual and employees within the professional community.
Travelodge HR manager also applied this theory to gain knowledge and information and enhance
their operating skills. They try to put their self in certain situation and learn from those situation
that how to act n that situation and how should they behave and what skills could helpful for

them that could make it effective and accomplish those task. They also put te employees and
staff of the Travelodge in that critical situation to train them and from that situation they learn a
lot that how t behave with the clients, how to act and in that situation and and resources they can
use to make improvement in their behaviour and action (Anderson, 2016).
Learning theory of Personal development
Constructivism Learning theory - This theory is based on the observation about how people
and employees learn and how the reflect their learning. By applying this constructivism theory in
the hotel company can improve the understanding of the employees. This theory in the
Travelodge Hotel apply by observing the employees how the construct their knowledge and
understanding of the world through experiencing the new things and how they reflects on those
experiences (Tsitskari and et.al., 2017). With this they can improve the personal development of
the employees. As the HR manger deal with many people outside the Travelodge and the
stakeholders and they also learn through observation how they act, behave and share experience
with each other and learn many things that help them to increase their productivity in the
organisation.
LO 3
P5 Development plan to enhance skills and competencies
A professional development plan is very important and valuable for the individual and
for the organisation as well. With the help of this development plan career development goals
and strategies are to be established in order to identify and improve the skills and competencies
in any individuals. Creating a professional development plan help the individual and the
Travelodge hotel to build the confidence in the employees, in the sell assessment, improving te
efficiency and with the help of the professional development plan Travelodge hotel can increase
the retention in the organisation (Mazzotti and et.al., 2018). Through the professional
development plan individual and the employees like HR manager can improve their skill and
also can determine what skills they need to be improved and recognise the time to improve those
skills. After working on that skills through various resources they can take feedback or review
from their subordinates and other employees, whether they really improved their skills or not.
While writing a development plan or reassessing future development, this professional
development plan provide useful roadmap that outline the strengths, areas of need and available

resources with the help of those resources individual can improve its skills. This professional
development plan is very useful for the Travelodge company, as this company need to hire
employees who is very skilled and have high competencies. If there is need to train any
employee in the organisation Travelodge company's employee can create self professional
development and can find out their strong and weak skills and the areas where they need to work
on, available resources that they can use to improve their skills and get reviews on their
improvement in the performance (Anderson, 2016). A professional development plan for
enhance the skill and competencies is as given below:
Professional Development Plan
Skills Activities Resources Time Review
Communication
skill
Taking classes
and coaching.
Watching more
chat shows.
Take online
course, internet,
books.
3 weeks Employee can
take the review
from the other
employees
working with
them and upper
level managers.
Leadership skill Attending
workshop and
taking guidances
from the leaders
Workshop for
great leader,
4 weeks Can take the
review from the
leaders of the
company.
Geographical
knowledge
Explore different
cities, reading
books, watching
travel shows
TV, internet,
News paper
2 weeks For this employee
can take the
review from the
mangers who
have good
knowledge about
different
geographic areas.
Team working Get involved Start working in a 2 weeks Can take review

skill more in team and
interact with team
members.
group and
complete the
common target.
from the team
members.
LO 4
P6 job interview for suitable service industry
Job interview means a face to face interaction of the candidate who come to get job and
interviewer. This is a process of selecting employee in the organisation for the vacant position.
There are different types of job interviews that Travelodge company can use to hire the
employees for their organisation. These are:
The screening interview – This is the first and basic interview with a particular company.
Human resource department of Travelodge will speak and talk with the candidate on telephone
or via video chat. And then if they will pass the this step then candidate will move to further step.
the selection interview – In this employer determine whether the candidate is best suited for the
organisation or not. Employer knows qualification and by asking some series of question
employer tend to make candidates nervous (Iyasere and et.al., 2016).
The group interview – This type of the interview process can also adapt the Travelodge
company to hire the employees. In this mangers or the interviewer ask the questions and have
face to face interaction with several candidates at once. This is best process to save time and to
find out whether the candidate is leader or a follower.
Panel interview – This process can also be applied by the Travelodge company as to conduct
many interview series a number of interviewer panel take interview at once.
Behavioural interview - As Travelodge is hospitality industry based company which need
skilled people for their company the, through the behavioural interview, employer can get the
skills and competencies of the candidate and ability to required for the position and candidate
have to give real example where they have used these competencies.
Travelodge mangers conduct a question series for the Behavioural interview to ask from
the candidate and to know the skills and competencies:
 Why do you want to work for the Travelodge company?
 Tell me about how you will handle pressure (Heron, Kinchin and Medland, 2018).
 Describe a time when you had to deal with an unhappy clients.

 How do you keep current with changes in hospitality industry?
 Give me an example of a time you had a conflict with team member.
What are key skills and strengths that you can bring to a role in hospitality and travel and tour
company?
P7 Key strengths and weaknesses of applied interview process
Strength of the Behavioural interview
 As in this type of the interview candidate explain their real life experiences, so it become
easy to know for the interviewer about candidate's leadership skills, competencies and
also get to know how capable they are (Stewart, 2016).
 Traditional interview questions are strength and weakness, whereas behavioural questions
can be tailored and customized. For example if Travelodge company want to hire
customer services manager then selection team can customized the question according to
it.
 Behavioural questions interviewing tend to make candidates less nervous. Because the
focus will on telling a story and experience instead of making themselves look good
(Hamilton, 2018).
Weakness of the behavioural interview
Where this behavioural interview is very beneficial and useful for the Travelodge
company but there is also some weakness of this interview process which are:
 It could be hard for the candidate to think past and choose the relevant situation on the
spot. Some may get freeze at the time of interview under the pressure.
 These questions are not always relevant for the future role. Candidate can be judged for
something irrelevant and unrelated situation.
Travelodge only can get the knowledge about candidate's personal situation, skills and
competencies, but they want to hire technical employee then Behavioural will suitable for this
job role. This interview process in not suitable for all kind of the job vacancy (Egert, Fukkink
and Eckhardt, 2018).
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that on going professional and personal
development is important for the any organisation. It helps to improvement in the skills, ability

and competencies of the individual in the organisation and with the help of this development
plan individuals help the Travelodge hotel to v serve best services and gain maximum profit. In
the Travelodge hotel employer have expectations from their employees that they can increase the
productivity of the company and also help the stakeholders to increase profit and revenue of the
organisation. HR manager of the Travelodge assess themselves through SWOT analysis and
assess their strength and weaknesses. Also concluded that professional development plan help
the employees and the Travelodge to enhance their skills and what can he do for improving those
skills. Further more it also been concluded that Travelodge use behavioural interview to select
the employees for their organisation that can help to increase revenue and profit by serving best
services to the customers.

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