Saira Hospitality and eCornell Partner to Deliver Service Excellence Program to British Virgin Islands Residents

ITHACA, N.Y., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Saira Hospitality has partnered with eCornell and Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration to bring a Service Excellence professional development program to local communities in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a region devastated by the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The partnership strives to help rebuild the tourism industry, and has brought a sense of hope and empowerment to residents as they prepare to attain careers in the hospitality industry.

Founded in 2015 by Harsha Chanrai, a graduate of Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, Saira Hospitality partners with luxury hotels across the world to create pop-up hotel schools that incorporate educational and life skills training, including eCornell's Service Excellence program. Instructors teach members of local communities the skills needed for employment and career growth in the hospitality industry. The holistic curriculum introduces lessons in verbal and non-verbal communication, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, sustainability and personal finances, as well as soft skills like mindfulness and emotional and cultural intelligence. These modules are taught in addition to the specialized hospitality skills necessary to succeed as an employee of an upscale hotel.

At the program's conclusion, hotel operators have a promising hiring pool of highly trained, loyal, and passionate community members who possess significant knowledge of brand culture and values. Graduates are empowered with the knowledge that their new skills can help them build a career in one of the world's fastest-growing industries.

"Cornell University has an unmatched reputation in the hospitality industry," says Chanrai. "I am honored that Saira Hospitality is able to deliver access to Cornell to previously inaccessible markets through the inclusion of the Service Excellence program. It has brought an immense sense of pride, hope, and career excitement to local communities in the BVI."

Upon completion of the Service Excellence program, learners will be able to draw on best practices for resolving conflict, identify service recovery opportunities, categorize service failures and appropriate responses, and improve their own communication by consciously considering audience, message, and method of delivery. Modules include:

• The Service Excellence Framework
• Developing Your Service Skills
• Managing Service Interactions

For more information about Saira Hospitality visit www.sairahospitality.com.

About eCornell
As Cornell University's online learning unit, eCornell delivers online professional certificate courses to individuals and organizations around the world. Courses are personally developed by Cornell faculty with expertise in a wide range of topics, including hospitality, leadership and management, marketing, human resources and data analytics.  Students learn in an interactive, small cohort format to gain skills they can immediately apply in their organizations, ultimately earning a professional certificate from Cornell University. eCornell has offered online learning courses and certificate programs for 18 years to over 130,000 students at more than 2,000 companies. For more information about eCornell programs, visit www.ecornell.com.

About Saira Hospitality
Saira Hospitality is a 501c3 non-profit organization established in 2015 by CEO & Founder, Harsha Chanrai. The organization is dedicated to disrupting the traditional routes to hiring hospitality employees by providing educational opportunities to local students across the world, free of charge. Saira Hospitality establishes pop-up hotel schools and short-term educational programs with soon-to-open hotels to educate students in less privileged areas, providing essential, curated training to participants and matching graduates with open positions at partnering properties. Saira Hospitality has a track record of providing 100% ROI for partners, filling all open positions and creating lasting relationships between students, communities and participating partners. Connect with Saira Hospitality on Facebook, Instagram or online at www.SairaHospitality.com.

Contact: Aubrie Dunn, 607-330-3200, [email protected]

SOURCE eCornell

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