Case Study: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts achieves 98% employee engagement and award-winning guest service with O.C. Tanner

How does a luxury hotel staff create memorable moments for guests from Vancouver to Quebec City

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, now part of AccorHotels with over 70 properties in 23 countries, relies on a culture of employee recognition to deliver consistent, memorable guest experiences from Vancouver to Quebec City and beyond. The challenge was to create a unified, cross‑cultural recognition program that keeps the Fairmont service promise alive across diverse properties and geographies.

Partnering with O.C. Tanner for two decades, Fairmont implemented colleague‑driven awards, manager eLearning, presentation materials and ongoing training so leaders are recognition‑ready within 90 days; stories and photos are shared on an internal social network to reinforce best practices globally. The program helped train 4,000+ recognition champions and delivered measurable results: the 2016 J.D. Power President’s Award, a 98% employee engagement score, a 2012 Gallup Great Workplace award, 98th percentile in IBM Kenexa, and 98% of colleagues wanting to continue the program.

Fairmont

Carolyn Clark

Senior VP, Talent & Culture