Through the partnership, The Arora Group, which will own and operate the 18-storey 453-bedroom hotel under a franchise agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), will aim make up at least 40 per cent of its staff Greenwich residents.
Opportunities at the hotel, which is due to open this winter, include those at management and operations levels in all departments including food and beverage, kitchen and housekeeping. The company estimates it will take on 400 people for these positions through assessment centres set up across the borough.
The Arora Group is also working with the council and local colleges to offer work experience placements and to launch the Arora Apprenticeship Scheme. Assessment centres have been set up in Greenwich to select a minimum of 25 people to join the programme, providing them with an annual salary for on-the-job training, a nationally-recognised qualification and progressive career development.
Surinder Arora, CEO and co-founder of the Arora Group, said: “At Arora, we are opening our most ambitious leisure and business hotel yet, with London’s largest new event space, so it’s vital we find the right people, with great local knowledge and a customer-focused attitude, to join the team that will put this new hotel firmly on the map.
"Working with GLLaB and the Royal Borough of Greenwich council to secure talent from the local community was a natural choice for us - London is one of the most multicultural centres in the world and we’re looking for people that have a genuine warmth and spirit to give our iconic new InterContinental hotel its personality”.