Club Saimaa to employ 200 tourism professionals

Club Saimaa to employ 200 tourism professionals

Local know-how complemented by personnel from 12 countries

To be opened in October, the Holiday Club Saimaa spa hotel and holiday resort is a significant employer in the field of tourism. In addition to local specialists, there will be employees from as many as 12 countries. The recruitment process emphasised not only experience but also a certain Saimaa spirit. The resort will provide Finland’s best service in both traditional HoReCa operations and recreational activities – from à la carte chefs to sports instructors.

According to Merja Kolehmainen, Holiday Club’s HR Manager, the Saimaa recruitment process has been long but highly rewarding: “The process began in February with the recruitment of managers. We have now recruited 122 people for Saimaa, and we will recruit 70–80 more. The labour effects will be multiplied by our subcontracting partnerships.”

“The process has lasted as long as six months because we wanted to look until we found exactly the right persons for all open positions,” Kolehmainen continues. “In addition to training, professional skills and experience, we have been looking for ‘Saimaa spirit’, i.e., the ability to meet your fellow human beings in a genuine and empathetic manner and the energy and zeal required to develop the operations of an exceptional new resort with us.”

Top international expertise

The majority of the staff are local people. “Local knowledge is a key prerequisite for our operations, and we are proud of our great team, most of whose members come from nearby municipalities,” Kolehmainen says. “The opening of the resort has also led to remigration to the area. Many people have been waiting for the chance to return to their roots as soon as an interesting job opportunity emerges. Holiday Club Saimaa has made these dreams come true.”

On the other hand, the international nature of the resort is also reflected in the composition of the staff. The spectrum of nationalities within the staff is impressive as it includes people from as many as 12 different countries. In addition to Finns, the Saimaa staff includes specialists from Sweden, Estonia, Russia, England, Hungary, Israel, Egypt, the Philippines, Thailand, Guinea, Ghana and Belarus.

Of the foreign personnel, the majority have lived in Finland for some time, but some are moving to the country especially for this opportunity. “We extended the recruitment to the entire EU area as the clientele will be highly international. In addition to Russia and Central Europe, we are expecting guests from Japan, where lots of interest in the resort has already been expressed. Holiday Club’s co-operation with the international RCI holiday exchange organisation will bring timeshare customers from all over the world,” Merja Kolehmainen says.

The best service in Finland

Saimaa is currently carrying out a one-month labour training programme funded by the Employment and Economic Development Office and dealing with general issues as well as department-specific concepts and product familiarisation. The instructor and training partner is South Karelia Adult Education Centre (AKTIVA). In addition to training common to all, people will also receive field-specific training. For example, the members of the recreational activities team will update their knowledge of pool supervision and the latest sports trends, and the à-la-carte waiting staff will deepen their wine expertise.

“We want to offer the best service in Finland. In addition to thoroughly thought-out physical premises, this is particularly seen in the content of customer service: we listen to all customers individually, aiming to respond to their wishes and requirements at the exact moment when they present them,” Kolehmainen says.

Holiday Club Saimaa is the new top resort for Finnish travel

Holiday Club Saimaa will open in October. At the resort being built in the heart of Finnish Lakeland, wellness thinking and experiences are crystallised into a form never seen before in Finland. Three hotels with different profiles, a luxury spa, an ice arena and the restaurants in the area form a fascinating destination to domestic and international visitors alike. The area will also host holiday flats, 63 Villas flats and an 18-hole pay & play golf course. The Holiday Club Saimaa spa hotel project is the largest in its field in the Nordic countries, and it is very significant to the economic area of Southern Karelia

For more information: Merja Kolehmainen, HR Manager, Holiday Club Resorts Oy,
tel. +358 40 5081094, firstname.lastname@holidayclub.fi

Holiday Club Saimaa will open in October 2011. The spa hotel project is the largest in its field in the Nordic countries, and it is very significant to the economic area of Southern Karelia. The construction of the spa hotel will generate 300 man-years of work, and the hotel will permanently employ 250 people. According to plans, the area will have 8,000 beds by 2020. By this time, approximately EUR 200 million will have been invested in the area. A total of 10 million people are within a few hours’ reach in the major Finnish, Russian and Baltic cities. The resort is designed for families as well as for Finnish and international business travellers.

Holiday Club Resorts Oy is the leading weekly timeshare company in Europe and a significant operator in the fields of holiday housing and tourism. The company is owned by the acting management, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Finnish Industry Investment Ltd and a group of Finnish private investors. Holiday Club Resorts Oy has 31 resorts and more than 1,300 holiday homes. Three of these resorts – Åre in Sweden, Calahonda in Spain and Gran Canaria, the latest addition – are located outside Finland. The new spa hotel and holiday resort Holiday Club Saimaa will be opened in Lappeenranta in October 2011. During the financial year 2009–2010, the consolidated turnover amounted to EUR 68 million, and the Group employed 425 people.

Fri 21.10.2011

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