How Hyatt Redefines Hospitality with Multilingual Staff: A Pipplet Success Story

Discover how Hyatt Hotels Corporation assures exceptional guest services for a diverse, multicultural clientele, using Pipplet for recruitment.



The Gold Standard: Hyatt's Emphasis on Multilingual Talent

With more than 1,250 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 75 countries across six continents, Hyatt’s Service Centre, based in Mainz, Germany, the heart of remote guest services across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Centre's associates are proficient in over ten languages, including English, German, French, Czech, and Arabic.

Omriko highlights, "At the Hyatt Services Centre, our hiring process prioritizes language proficiency and effective, customer-centric communication skills. Every guest expects luxurious and authentic service, which includes interactions in their native language via email, call, or chat. Our mission is to not only meet these expectations but surpass them consistently."

Moving Beyond Manual Assessments

Before Pipplet, Hyatt Services Centre evaluated candidates' language skills during an initial phone interview and a second interview with the regional director. However, as they ramped up hiring in 2023, outpacing their recruitment volume in 2022 within the first few months, the limitations and risks of manual language assessments became apparent.

Furthermore, multiple interviewers led to varying interpretations and subjective decisions about a candidate's language proficiency, a challenge they frequently encountered in 2022. 

Omriko explained, "Facing a significant hiring increase, we sought a solution that would smooth out the assessment process, provide objective evaluations, and enable us to make fairer and more reliable hiring decisions."

Pipplet: The Language Assessment Solution for Hospitality and Customer Service

After considering several assessment providers, Pipplet emerged as the best fit to Hyatt’s needs. Pipplet stood out for its comprehensive language coverage, remote testing, and credibility as a subsidiary of ETS Global, the official provider of standardized tests TOEIC, TOEFL, and GRE.

Pipplet's industry-specific customer service tests also offer a realistic understanding of candidates’ active use of the language in a Hyatt setting. As Omriko explains, "Seeing how candidates respond to real-life situations, like answering customer emails or phone calls, gives us a clear picture of how they might perform on the job."

Before rolling out Pipplet company-wide, Omriko ran an internal trial and saw that the assessments were fair, realistic, and insightful. Consequently, Pipplet proved itself as a safe, reliable working model for assessing multilingual talent.

The Power of Pipplet Language Assessments at Hyatt

Pipplet has significantly solidified Hyatt's hiring process. As Omriko explains, "Now, after the initial phone interview, I’ll send the Pipplet test to the candidate. Within 24 hours, I receive a thorough evaluation and language proficiency certification. These results allow us to confidently proceed to the next recruitment stage.”

“Our initial challenge of having different interpretations and prolonged discussions about a candidate's language proficiency among interviewers—that no longer exists."

The results also allow Omriko to precisely identify candidates' proficiency levels based on the CEFR, typically preferring C-level skills but also considering B1 and B2 levels based on the language required. Pipplet's rapid results save time, simplify discussions, and provide a solid foundation for hiring decisions.

"Embrace technology for language assessments," advises Omriko. "A certified external tool ensures a professional evaluation, which forms the basis for objective hiring decisions. It's not just a time-saver; it’s a game-changer for both recruiters and candidates."

Incorporating Pipplet, Hyatt has transformed their language assessment process, boosting efficiency and reducing subjectivity.

How Can Pipplet Elevate Your Recruitment Process?

Are you hiring multilingual staff but struggling to evaluate their language skills? Consider a certified external solution like Pipplet. Trusted by over 1,500 employers including Hyatt and Amazon, Pipplet is the leading language assessment solution for the workplace.

Pipplet offers a reliable, streamlined assessment process, saving valuable time and enabling confident hiring decisions.

Take a proactive step towards efficient and reliable customer service hiring. Contact us today.