Case Study

How LGH worked in partnership with Peoplebank to increase the quantity and quality of applications

LGH Hotels Management was formed in 2018 to manage a portfolio of mid and upscale hotels across the UK, including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Hilton. In 2019 LGH added Hallmark Hotels to its portfolio.

LGH brought in Talent Acquisition Manager Nathan Rackham-Wood in July 2019 to review the recruitment process across all the hotels.

The challenge

LGH had chosen the Peoplebank ATS and set it up for all the hotels to use it individually. LGH's acquisitions had added different parts to the business but this meant the recruitment process and candidate journey wasn't always consistent. Some hotels had not been using the ATS to its full potential.

LGH therefore didn't have complete visibility to what was happening in their applicant tracking system. They weren't able to regularly review metrics like the total number of live roles or time to hire. Some hotels would have a role open almost constantly and weren’t using the Peoplebank Talent Bank to fill it. They were relying heavily on job boards and using agencies - but the candidates applying through them were sitting on the database.

Our solution

"The Peoplebank system is bespoke and flexible, moving with us as we change. It's more of a partnership model, which makes it different to any other ATS I've used."

LGH chose the Peoplebank ATS because it fit the ever-changing needs of the business. The system can be quickly customised to add new features on demand, rather than having a standard “one size fits all” package where you’re billed for everything, regardless of whether you use it. LGH uses the Peoplebank ATS with Talent Bank, ATR (authorisation to recruit), seamless multi-job board posting and a careers site including job alerts.

Peoplebank added in comprehensive reporting which was precisely tailored to LGH’s recruitment processes. As well as headline reports on live roles and time to hire, Peoplebank built a bespoke report on the candidate journey through the business from:

pending > shortlist > interview > offer > hire

This allowed LGH to see exactly how long the candidate journey takes and identify any red flags. If some hotels hadn’t been shortlisting or rejecting candidates, or reviewing CVs to move them through the system, it could be because the hiring managers were out sick or on holiday, or needed more training. LGH was then able to use a traffic light system to review their processes to improve the candidate journey and ensure they weren’t losing great candidates to competitors.

The results

“The Peoplebank system is now even more streamlined to fit our business. You don’t get that with other ATS providers, where you have to go through so many hoops to get anything changed and there are so many delays. With Peoplebank, if you ask for something you know exactly when you’ll get it.”

Peoplebank worked closely with LGH to set up new custom job ad templates, which dramatically increased the quantity and quality of candidate applications. When LGH started using the new ad templates, the number of applications they received from Caterer went up by 30%, with Indeed applications also improving.

LGH continues to use the robust reporting in the Peoplebank system to review performance. For some jobs, such as frontline roles, they’ve found it’s easier to hire from their database. These candidates also tend to be warmer and more engaged. LGH will be focusing on increasing their usage of the Peoplebank Talent Bank, with some new features in development which will make it even easier for them to capture candidate data and search their database to find the right candidates.

“I would definitely recommend Peoplebank. Look at your current ATS. Does it really provide you with exactly what you need for the cost you’re paying? Working with Peoplebank is a collaboration. They are always developing new features and looking to improve your experience.”