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Working with Hyatt
Visionary Intro Letter
In the travel and tourism industry, we are fortunate to support 1 out of every 10 jobs worldwide. Yet often, people in
underserved communities lack the paths they need to find these opportunities.
Around the globe, more than 40% of young people are either unemployed or living in poverty. Often referred to as
Opportunity Youth, these young people are disconnected from the economy.
This is where RiseHY comes in. Our program is designed to bring hospitality jobs and Opportunity Youth together. At
Hyatt, we’re in a unique position to be part of the solution because hospitality is an industry where people can truly
rise from entry-level roles to create meaningful, life-long careers.
Consistent with our company’s purpose – to care for people so they can be their best – Hyatt and its hotels have
been working with community-based organizations around the world for decades to help young people rise to their full
potential. Now, we’re taking a bigger step: With RiseHY we are committing to hiring 10,000 Opportunity Youth by
2025.
How? First, we are bringing more attention to the types of jobs Hyatt and its hotels offer. With the help of virtual
reality, young people will experience, sometimes for the very first time, what life is like inside a hotel.
Next, we’re working with community-based organizations to use digital technology to match candidates’ skillsets with
the entry-level job that is the best fit.
And finally, we’re growing our global network of community-based organizations. With the help of organizations like
yours, Hyatt and its hotels will provide on-the-job training programs as well as full-time employment.
With each hire, we add to our collective impact on this societal challenge. And by enabling more Opportunity Youth to
rise, we will ensure Hyatt and its hotels have a diverse, inclusive pipeline of colleagues for years to come.
Malaika Myers
Chief Human Resources Officer
RiseHY Overview
Vision Statement
We will bring Hyatt’s purpose of ‘caring for people so they can be their best’ to life in our communities through a
global signature program that helps build a diverse workforce by upskilling and hiring Opportunity Youth and
supporting their personal and professional development as the next generation of leaders at Hyatt.
RiseHY Goals
• Build a more broadly diverse pipeline of talent by attracting more Opportunity Youth to hospitality careers
• Train Opportunity Youth for hospitality careers through different methods addressing life, soft, and technical
skills (e.g., job shadows, digital tools, CBO upskilling partnerships, etc.)
• Hire 10,000 Opportunity Youth into Hyatt roles by 2025
• Improve the quality of potential candidates by using assessments, work-based learning experiences (WBEs)
and simulations to increase candidate fit.
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• Improve retention of Opportunity Youth by encouraging managers to adopt best practices for supporting new
hires and young adults colleagues
• Share Hyatt’s global successes broadly with key constituents, including customers, current and prospective
colleagues, shareholders, etc.
• Put Opportunity Youth on a development pathway to a long term career within Hyatt
Playbook Overview
Playbook Purpose
The purpose of this playbook is to provide Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) a guide to engaging with the
hospitality industry in general, and Hyatt in particular. It includes information on the career opportunities that exist in
the hospitality industry, considerations for working with Hyatt hotels, and an overview of the stages of partnering with
a Hyatt property.
Your Role
• Provide professional skills and job-readiness training for young adults.
• Provide wrap-around support services for young adults.
• Identify dedicated staff member to act as liaison to hotel(s).
• Be familiar with the hospitality industry in general and Hyatt in particular, including how hotels operate and
the career paths offered.
• Support Hyatt’s culture and work together with the local property to guarantee a successful partnership.
• Coordinate and participate in 30 day, 90 day, 6 month and end-of-year check ins with Hyatt liaison.
Best Practices for an Effective Partnership
All effective partnerships share some basic principles:
Consistent, Open Communication
Consistent, ongoing communication underlies any good partnership. Develop a communications cadence and
determine how to share feedback with key partners. This will ensure that the appropriate information is
communicated to the relevant individuals (such as the General Manager or HR Leader at Hyatt and Program
Manager at the CBO) at regular intervals. This could be as simple as scheduling regular check-ins with your liaison at
Hyatt to make sure that you are sharing information back and forth in a timely manner.
Shared Goals
Every organization will have different objectives and motivations for entering into a partnership. Understanding those
objectives is key to making sure that both members of the partnership are satisfied with the relationship. Developing
common goals that encompass the needs of both partners and making those goals and needs explicit will ensure that
you are driving towards a shared definition of success.
Clear Expectations
Both partners need to have a clear understanding of their own roles and responsibilities and what the other partner
will be responsible for. It can be helpful to outline these things in writing and share them with all involved in the
partnership to make sure that there is clarity from the beginning. This also helps ensure accountability and gives you
a place to start a discussion should difficulties arise in the partnership.
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Mutual Trust and Respect
As in any relationship, having trust and respect for the credibility and capacity of your partner establishes a strong
foundation. It can take time to build a strong relationship and putting that time in up front by working together to
develop shared goals and taking the time to understand your partner’s work and their needs can help you weather
the challenges inherent in any collaboration.
Leadership Support
Regardless of whether a partnership begins at the top or bottom, it is important to ensure that leadership is bought
into the collaboration before work begins. Having the support of those with authority and resources is key to helping
you overcome roadblocks and being aligned with leadership’s overall strategy will provide greater impetus for
success.
Dedicated Staff Commitment
Partnerships require ongoing management and attention. It is important that there are staff members whose job
responsibilities explicitly include tasks related to collaboration with Hyatt. Given the time and energy required, these
duties should be accounted for when an individual’s overall job performance is being assessed.
Hospitality Careers
An Industry of Opportunity
When young adults join the Hyatt family, they are joining a world of possibility. Currently, the hospitality industry
accounts for 10% of the overall employment in the United States. That translates to 8 million jobs and the sector is
expected to add another 3.3 million jobs in the next decade. Hospitality and tourism lead the future as one of the
largest growing work segments, offering career-minded young people a rewarding, fast-paced environment with
multiple career paths.
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Hyatt’s commitment to caring for people so they can be their best, encompasses guests, colleagues and the
community. That has resulted in Hyatt being recognized as one of Fortune’s 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials and
as one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes. Young adults entering Hyatt will have access to career
paths that can lead them in many different directions and supervisors who will support their growth and development
as young professionals.
Pathways to a Career
Typical career path visuals about responsibilities under each role
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https://www.ahla.com/dreams and
https://www.ahlei.org/uploadedFiles/Content/About_Us/Workforcebrochure-catalog.pdf
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About Hyatt: A Great Place to Work
Our colleagues love working at Hyatt. We’re proud to say that 93% of colleagues say their workplace is great and
95% are proud to tell others they work at Hyatt.
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You can hear our colleagues share firsthand why they believe that
Hyatt is a great place to work here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0F76371BA798BED3
Purpose and Values
Our purpose of care is the foundation of everything we do. Every day we care for our colleagues, guests, owners,
operators, community members and shareholders. . We do this by living out our values:
• Respect
• Integrity
• Humility
• Empathy
• Creativity
• Fun
These values and the underlying behaviors that support them show up in all of our daily interactions.
Careers at Hyatt
At Hyatt we recognize that part of what attracts young adults to working with us is the opportunity for growth. A recent
survey of young adults by AHLA and WageWatch suggested that the hotel industry’s training and growth
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http://reviews.greatplacetowork.com/hyatt-hotels-corporation
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opportunities and fast track promotional opportunities were the top reasons they are interested in working in
hospitality.
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Young adults who come to work at Hyatt will find clear career paths from entry-level roles into
management across multiple departments, including food and beverage, culinary, housekeeping, front office,
stewarding and events. Likewise, those simply seeking a great work environment will find it at Hyatt.
What We Offer
In addition to the ability to grow your career and standard medical and retirement benefits (dependent upon location),
some of the additional benefits Hyatt offers its employees include:
• Complimentary Hotel Stays: Hyatt colleagues are eligible to book up to 12 complimentary room nights per
year at any Hyatt hotel in the world. During their stay, colleagues also receive a 50% discount on food and
beverage as well as a 20% discount on all spa services.
• Employee Rate Hotel Stays: Hyatt colleagues are eligible for unlimited employee rate room nights per year
at any Hyatt hotel in the world. These stays start the day the employee begins work.
• Diversity Business Resource Groups: A key part of Hyatt’s diversity & inclusion efforts has been the
establishment of affinity groups or Diversity Business Resource Groups (DRBG). These DRBGs can be
formal or informal gatherings of colleagues who share a common cultural heritage, race, gender, age or
interest. Benefits include basic business networking, mentoring each other and others in their communities
and developing professionally.
• Rest and Relaxation Lounges: In an effort to promote a relaxing atmosphere to our colleagues in-between
shifts and during breaks, Hyatt provides rest and relaxation lounges where colleagues have access to
computers, TVs and video games, as well as comfortable, lobby-like lounge furniture and libraries.
• Free On-Site Dry Cleaning: Hyatt colleagues are provided with access to free on-site dry cleaning for
uniforms and work suits so they do not have to worry about this during their time away from work.
• Healthy Cost Effective Meals: Hyatt provides healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner options at our colleague
dining rooms to accommodate all shifts. These meals are offered for little or no cost. Our corporate culinary
team created healthy menus for colleague dining rooms using the same principles applied to our hotel
restaurant menus, which focus on healthy people, a healthy planet and healthy communities.
• Caring Fund: Many of our hotels offer the Hyatt Caring Fund which provides financial resources to
colleagues in need due to unforeseen emergency circumstances. The benefit is funded 100% by hotel
colleagues.
Who We Hire
To support our purpose of “caring for people so they can be their best” we strive to find individuals who identify with a
strong sense of care. We look for individuals who are…
• Innately service oriented
• Creative
• Innovative
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https://www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/Millennial_Retention_Survey.pdf
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• Hard working
• Helpful to guests and colleagues
• Supportive of guests and colleagues
• Adaptable
• Team players
Developing Our People
Hyatt is committed to making sure our colleagues are well prepared for the job they have today and the one they may
want tomorrow. All employees go through an Orientation to learn about the purpose, goals, values and principles of
the company and receive role-specific training. Many Hyatt properties use the MyLearning portal through our learning
management system, where further training materials are available on topics such as bringing the brand experience
to life and hotel culture. Some properties also offer access to eCornell courses for further professional development
and certification (e.g. ServSafe, Certification for Financial Management).
Engaging with RiseHY
Hyatt relies on its partnerships with community-based organizations to bring RiseHY to life. We partner with CBOs
around the world that are identifying and working with Opportunity Youth to help them gain the education and skills
they need to grow and thrive.
Because each Hyatt property is unique, RiseHY does not have a set model of engagement. Rather, it will be up to the
individual properties and CBOs to work together to determine how to partner. If your organization has standard ways
of engaging with corporate partners (e.g. mentoring, guest speakers, site visits, etc.), sharing that information with
your liaison at Hyatt will help that person get his or her colleagues involved in the collaboration as well. We know that
the more everyone at the property is invested in the partnership, the more ownership they will feel over the success
of the young adults at the center of RiseHY.
In addition to the liaison at your local property, you will also have access to a RiseHY Regional Liaison [ask your
Hyatt hotel partner who the Liaison is for your location]. who is familiar with the initiative and can share best practices
from other partnerships across RiseHY to help inform your work.
Appendix A: Hyatt Brands
The Hyatt portfolio encompasses 14 unique brands which each offer a distinct interpretation of our foundational
purpose: to deliver personalized care and unforgettable experiences. It is important for young adults to understand
how these distinctions translate into different working environments and identify where they will be most successful.
Two Roads brand descriptions coming soon!
Brand
Distinguishing Features
Park Hyatt
Full service refined residential-inspired luxury
experiences in top-tier cultural destinations.
Guests enjoy highly personalized and engaged
service, renowned art and design, and exceptional
food and wine.
Grand Hyatt
Full service destination hotels that deliver elevated
and upscale services in iconic destinations.
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Hyatt Regency
Upper-upscale full service hotels targeted
to the business traveler.
Andaz
Luxury full service boutique hotels rooted
in local art and culture.
Hyatt
Small lifestyle hotels for business and leisure
travelers to provide guests with a home base
as they discover and explore new neighborhoods.
Hyatt Centric
Upper-upscale boutique lifestyle hotels in
popular urban and resort destinations.
The Unbound Collection
Upper-upscale full service properties designed for
high-end, high-value travelers seeking distinctive
experiences with the reassurance of a familiar brand.
Hyatt Place
Upscale select service hotel for mid-to upper
income business and leisure travelers.
Hyatt House
Upscale extended stay hotels typically located in
urban, airport and suburban areas with spacious
accommodations and the comforts and conveniences
of home (e.g., apartment-style kitchen suites).
Hyatt Zilara & Ziva
All-inclusive upscale full service hotels targeting
adults looking for time away to recharge.
Hyatt Residence Club
High-end vacation ownership experiences
in exclusive destinations around the U.S.
Miraval
All-inclusive luxury destination wellness
resort and spa.
Exhale
Spa and fitness facilities in over 25 locations
in the U.S. and Caribbean.
Appendix B: Sample Job Descriptions
Bell Attendant
Bell Attendants are in constant communication with the Front Office and Valet to ensure guests are escorted and their
luggage and personal items are transported to and from the guest rooms efficiently. It’s important to ensure that
guests are comfortable with accommodations and are familiar with room offerings and features. This highly visible
role gives opportunity for casual conversation and hotel or local recommendations.
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Culinary
The Entry Level Cook is a culinary position that requires basic culinary skills or related cooking experience and good
communication skills. This is typically a production position that requires total supervision and training. Requirements
include:
• A true desire to satisfy the needs of others in a fast-paced environment.
• Possessing the physical stamina to lift, carry, push and pull moderate amounts of weight.
• Ability to stand for long periods of time.
• Ability to work flexible schedule and various shifts, including but not limited to, days, nights, weekends and
holidays.
• Capable of performing repetitious duties.
Room Attendant
The Room Attendant is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the guest rooms assigned. Previous cleaning
experience as well as the ability to communicate to guests preferred.
Server
Restaurant servers are responsible for submitting guest menu selections and presenting these food and beverage
preferences. The right person will gain menu knowledge and give recommendations from our compilation of cuisine
and drink offerings. A Hyatt restaurant server will engage in casual conversation and create the restaurant
experience by their style and service attributes. Other duties include general restaurant preparation and maintaining
a sanitary environment.
Steward
A Steward or Dishwasher is primarily responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of all hotel china, silverware, and
cookware. This person must have the ability to lift, pull and push a moderate amount of weight.
