Twenty eight management associates from the Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort will have a follow up seminar in a week's time to ensure that they have grasped the techniques they learned at a recent workshop.

Last December, the hotel held an associate leadership class which focused on techniques which promote guest satisfaction.

The class was held over four days and was open to managers and those deemed to have the ability to be managers after they get more experience.

Lorrita Tucker-Simmons, training manager at the resort, said the aim of the course was to train leaders.

The course itself, she said, was done at many of the overseas Marriott hotels and usually one person at a time was sent for training.

"But this year our company has taken a major interest in training and we decided to begin the season by having this training programme here at the hotel.

"Normally being a manager is a prerequisite but we highlighted people we thought would be eligible to become supervisors or managers and we bought them into the course.'' Two overseas experts from the Philadelphia Marriott -- Vilma Michaud, director of training and human resources, and Linda Laubach, area director of human resources -- were flown in for the class.

"For eight hours a day for about four or five days they were all attending this class which was facilitator led,'' said Mrs. Tucker-Simmons.

"There was much discussion and teamwork which allowed them to build on the knowledge that they already have.

"They were also encouraged to find creative ways to manage their own departments and themselves.'' Mrs. Tucker-Simmons said that in the past people who joined the management team have had to rely on their own skills and knowledge to solve problems.

Now the hotel is trying to be more streamlined in its approach. This means that managers are expected to use the tools that they have learned in the class to solve problems.

"This helps us to take each situation or problem as it comes and helps us to move through it and this is what total quality management means.

"It helps us to become more consistent because our focus is to have continuous quality improvements in our guest service.'' Mrs. Tucker-Simmons said the objective is for managers to be able to pinpoint the source of a problem and tackle it so that it does not repeat itself.

"It helps the manager to see the problem, correct it on the spot so that it does not happen again.

"I am extremely optimistic,'' she said last week. "I have already come up with a follow up seminar that we will be holding in the next two weeks so that all those who have gone through it can do it.

"We will be able to do a follow up and reiterate some of the things and see where some people have had problems implementing some of the principles into their personal management habits.

"Our managers have to remember that total quality management is a process. It gives you the steps and you have to be able to key into the steps in order for the process to be effective.'' TOURISM TOU BUSINESS BUC