Otolo is a new mentoring platform with a mission to get hospitality thriving again following the damage caused to the industry by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Otolo community is a concentrated pool of passionate hospitality people, at all stages of their careers, actively pursuing and improving their skills and career prospects.
Otolo Mentoring Plans are a paid-for offering for hospitality employers to improve the skills and network of its staff. IHG UK&I, Hyatt Hotel Kabuki San Francisco, Conrad New York Downtown, Movenpick Maldives, Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman and Peninsula All-Suite Hotel Cape Town are among a number of hotel chains and properties that have signed up to Otolo Mentoring Plans.
Each company has its own private group with team members matched with mentors from Otolo’s extensive selection. Mentees are matched with a mentor based on their career to date, as well as career aspirations. One key benefit of Otolo Mentoring Plans is the ability to be matched with a mentor anywhere in the world and in any corporate discipline or sector in the hospitality industry.
Mentees also have the opportunity to engage and build relationships with all the mentors on the platform. They are encouraged to join Otolo’s open community groups and are invited to industry events that are hosted on the social platform.
Marlene Poyner, General Manager, Conrad New York Downtown, said its Otolo Mentoring Plan “brings mentoring to a new level”. “I am a passionate believer in mentoring programmes for our young industry leaders as a way to retain and source great talent,” she said. “The Otolo platform is created for the new, online and video streaming, fast-paced young talent. It will assist in keeping them fully engaged and motivated in the global hospitality industry.”
IHG UK is aiming to have 50 of its general managers signed up to its Otolo Mentoring Plans group, with each one mentored by a mentor of their choosing outside of the hotel chain. Hyatt is focusing its group on its senior team, while the other hotels are mentoring staff at all levels of the organisations.
Otolo, Founder and CEO, James Lemon, said: “Otolo offers a fresh approach on how hospitality companies can mentor their people
“It is great to see so many major hotel brands sign up to Otolo Mentoring Plans and embracing the benefits of mentoring for the hospitality industry. Mentoring will be central to motivating, attracting and retaining talent as the sector looks to rebuild following the devastating past 12 months.”
Otolo, where hospitality flows, evolved from a pro-bono online mentoring platform offering support to peers and younger professionals who were out of work, furloughed, or working in a fast-changing situation. After being awarded a UK Government grant to develop into a full service, the team – all left out of work or furloughed due to the pandemic - is on a mission to support the hospitality industry and benefit workers globally at all levels in an ever-increasingly competitive job market.
