Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has launched a new, proprietary sales and marketing training program called STAR, the Shangri-La Training for Aggressive Revenues.

More than US$3 million will be spent over the next four years to STAR train 2,000 sales and marketing employees in hotels and worldwide sales offices. The first tailor-made sales training program for Shangri-La, developed by Singapore-based TSA (Training Service Asia), the program incorporates the essence of Shangri-La's corporate culture to make it distinctly relevant.

STAR contains five modules including: Essential Selling Skills; Negotiating Skills; Strategic Sales Management 1 and 2; and Sales Leadership and Motivation Skills.

The sales function is critically important to many of our hotels and the time is right to fine tune our approach to selling rooms and catering inventory with greater emphasis and consideration to the overall revenue performance of the business unit, said Martin F. Waechter, chief marketing officer, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.