Sushma V

"Transforming learning experiences through innovation, interactivity, and instructional excellence."

First Impressions Matter

Professionalism & Etiquette for Hotel Staff

Business Context & Challenge

In the hospitality industry, front-line staff serve as the face of the brand.

However, inconsistent grooming, poor etiquette, and unprofessional behavior can negatively impact guest experience.

The business challenge was to create an engaging and memorable digital learning solution that reinforces the importance of first impressions and trains hotel staff on expected professional standards.

Target Audience

Front office and guest-facing staff in hotels — including new joiners and junior staff in onboarding programs.

Learning Solution Overview

I designed an animated, scenario-based module to help hotel staff improve grooming, behavior, and guest etiquette.
Using Vyond for visual storytelling and Articulate Storyline 360 for interactivity, I created realistic situations where learners could observe, reflect, and make decisions.

The Thinking Behind The Training

As an instructional designer, I didn’t want to simply create a checklist-style course that just informed staff what not to do. I wanted learners to see, feel, and reflect. My goal was to design a learning experience that emotionally connected with hotel staff — so they understand why first impressions matter, not just what to wear or say.
By using realistic scenarios with characters they could relate to, I helped learners step into the shoes of both the staff and the guests. Each scene was followed by thought-provoking questions, allowing learners to pause and critically assess their behavior.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all experience, I implemented conditional branching to give learners control over their path, making the module feel more personalized. By making wrong choices and seeing the consequences, they could learn in a risk-free environment.
Ultimately, I designed this solution not just to train, but to transform how front-line hotel staff think about their role in shaping the guest experience.

Instructional Design Strategy

The ID strategy included:

Scenario-Based Learning (SBL)
Micro-learning Snippets
Conditional Branching for decision-based paths
Gamification for motivation
Immediate Feedback for formative assessment
Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction as a structural base

portfolio video_Hotel Mgt.mp4

Learning Objectives

By the end of the module, learners will be able to:

Identify grooming standards expected of hotel staff
Demonstrate appropriate professional behavior and etiquette in guest interactions
Respond correctly to common hospitality service scenarios
Reflect on the impact of first impressions in customer service
Apply courteous and brand-aligned conduct in their roles

Tech Stack & Tools

Vyond – Animated scene creation
Articulate Storyline 360 – Course interactivity, branching, quizzes
Camtasia – Background music and video transitions
Audacity – Audio editing and sound enhancements

Key Features

Animated hotel scenarios for visual engagement
Scenario-based questions after each snippet
Conditional branching based on learner choices
Progress bar and course completion tracking
Gamification elements for engagement
Final timed quiz with results slide
Voice-over, button sound effects, and background music integration

Business Impact

Enhanced onboarding experience for hotel staff
Improved understanding of professional standards through visual storytelling
Reduction in guest complaints due to unprofessional behavior (projected)
Increased learner engagement and retention of behavioral expectations
Scalability across branches for consistent training delivery

Contact

Have a project or want to collaborate?
Let’s connect!

sushmav90@gmail.com

Download Resume

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