How do you protect brand standards and customer experience when you’re rapidly expanding across multiple brands, markets or business units? That’s the challenge Sonesta International Hotels is navigating today as it shifts toward a more franchise-heavy model. This is a familiar challenge for learning and development (L&D) teams supporting distributed workforces, franchise networks or independently operated business units — where consistency, speed and visibility matter. The learning function at Sonesta has become a critical lever for ensuring consistent service, operational readiness and compliance across properties.
Join Erica Chenette, senior director of training and development at Sonesta International Hotels, as she shares how her team is building a scalable learning strategy that supports corporate teams, managed hotels, franchise properties and international general managers — without overwhelming operators or slowing down the business. In conversation with Sandra Moran, CMO at Schoox, Erica will offer a blueprint for scaling workforce readiness, strengthening service consistency and aligning learning to growth — even in a highly complex operating model.
Get practical insights on how to:
- Standardize brand experience training across multiple brands while allowing flexibility for location-level execution.
- Design onboarding that connects key behaviors, systems and operational tools so new hires become productive faster.
- Use automation and reporting to reduce manual processes and give leaders visibility into training completion and readiness.
- Position L&D as a business partner that supports service excellence, internal mobility and revenue growth.
Speakers: Erica Chenette, Senior Director of Training & Development, Sonesta International Hotels and Sandra Moran, Chief Marketing Officer, Schoox