There’s a new lounge training facility in Atlanta — and we got the first look
Sodexo Live is the company behind some of your favorite airport lounges. It operates 170 lounges worldwide for carriers such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, as well as for companies like American Express and Chase. Sodexo Live just opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art training facility for its employees in the shadow of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
TPG got a first look.
New training facility in Atlanta
The Sodexo Live team hopes the new training center will help inspire and educate managers and front-line employees alike. What might that mean for consumers? Better service and a more premium experience at the company's many lounges.
Sodexo Live expects the center to train 2,000 employees in the first year alone. Managers are then expected to train thousands more employees at lounges around the world. The new facility, just about a 15-minute drive from the bustling Atlanta airport, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday evening.
"This training center is the next phase of the Sodexo Live Academy, which continues to enrich the skillsets of the 40,000+ global team members who support the organization's global portfolio," per a Sodexo press release announcing the opening.
It's all about team bonding and skills building, with the hopes of improving customer service and employee retention at the company's work sites in airports (and other venues) worldwide.
The training center will offer five-day training sessions for managers, but eventually front-line employees will be able to visit the center for one to two days of in-person training.
"In order to elevate the overall business, we have to start with our leaders," Arica Allen, a vice president of hospitality and innovation for Sodexo's global aviation group, said. "This center is a testament to that."
They are calling it an "aviation academy," and it is set up with a classroom for teaching sessions.
The coolest feature, though, might be the realistic lounge the company has set up to train workers.
It includes a living room-type space with a massive interactive screen and a full bar with various seating areas.
In the next rooms, you'll find a coffee bar set up along with a pretend buffet and dining areas.
My favorite feature was the busser robot that was buzzing around the party. I'm starting to see more and more of these robots at hotel restaurants and lounges around the world.
These facilities are designed to give workers real-world opportunities to practice various customer service scenarios.
There is also an attached culinary warehouse that services Atlanta's eight Delta Sky Clubs. This is the first time Sodexo Live has had its own supply center. It previously relied on supplies purchased from outside vendors to restock the lounges at the nearby airport.
I asked Allen why the company invested so much in employee training and what it might mean for customers.
"It has to mean an elevated customer experience. It has to mean we're not just in the service industry; we're in the hospitality industry, which is very emotional," she said. "It has to lead to an elevated experience for the guest."
She explained that guests were no longer just looking for cheese cubes on a buffet — they want an elevated experience.
Sodexo Live is also investing in five new full-time training and development positions for its airport lounge portfolio. I look forward to seeing how these investments in training change the culture of Sodexo's lounges around the world.
Related reading:
- The best credit cards for airport lounge access
- Everything you need to know about the Priority Pass program
- The do's and don'ts of visiting an airport lounge
- Skip the lounge and get free food: Use your Priority Pass at 37 US airport restaurants
- 9 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for
- 10 credit cards that offer Priority Pass airport lounge access
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month