My first ever Christmas at sea taught me more about real learning than any structured program ever has. As per custom, we opened a full guest dining venue exclusively for the crew. The kind of place most of them only passed by on their way to service, never imagining they’d sit there one day—no uniforms, no rush, no deadlines. The chefs went all out: suckling pig glistening under the lights, Christmas pudding still warm, trays of yule log slices, custard tarts, and desserts t

My career didn’t start in a training room. It started in a kitchen. As a management trainee in Food Production, our only “crisis drill” was the lunch rush. Tickets piling up. Equipment overheating. A chef calling timings like a conductor. I learnt early that you don’t rise to the level of your training; you fall to the level of your preparation. As a Food Production lecturer, I saw another truth. Students who knew every technique would still freeze the first time a sauce redu

After years of training across ships and island resorts, I’ve realised something simple: Most learning doesn’t happen when we plan it. It happens when the job forces it. I’ve seen waiters freeze during peak service even after perfect classroom scores. What helped them wasn’t a refresher. It was a supervisor’s one-line correction delivered in the heat of the moment. Those micro-lessons stick differently. During a Phase 2 pre-opening at an Indian Ocean resort, our villa team ke

I’ve spent years building training programs across ships and island resorts, and here’s the truth I wish someone had told me earlier: The moments that shape a professional never arrive in the format your SOP prepared you for. They show up unannounced. They bend the rules. And they demand the one skill no manual can teach—judgment. At Niyama, a guest at Fahrenheit Bar once asked a new associate for something completely off the menu. He froze. Not because he lacked capability,

When I took charge of the vessel, the timing couldn’t have been tougher. A USPH inspection was on the horizon, and brand auditors from shoreside were scheduled to board on the next voyage. Crew morale was low. Pressure was high. The galley was deep-cleaning, housekeeping was sanitizing every inch, and guest services was firefighting mid-sailing. There was no room, or time, for a traditional classroom session. So, I did what ship life had trained me to do, adapt fast, and make

I’ve spent 25 years in L&D across luxury hotels and cruise lines, and here’s the hardest truth I’ve learned: no one changes because of a...

It’s in those unplanned, high-pressure moments—not the workshops—where leadership and learning truly take shape. Some of the most...

Inclusion isn’t measured by what’s printed on the badge. It’s measured by what happens in the room. Do people feel safe to speak? Do...

There was a time when the loudest voice in the room was considered the most knowledgeable.  Today? The best trainers know when not to...

Have you ever thought that the heart of every guest’s unforgettable stay beats in our training rooms long before they ever cross the...

During one of the service excellence sessions, one of our baristas—a dad away from his six-year-old, still reeling from seasickness and...

Let me be real for a moment. After 20+ years in L&D, most of it in hospitality, I’ve seen the same thing happen too many times: A...

The harsh truth?  L&D professionals who can’t tie learning to business metrics are at risk of becoming obsolete. Gone are the days when...