To support hospitality trainers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers is making it easier to sign up or renew membership.

CHART is providing free membership to hospitality trainers who wish to join, including those who have been furloughed or laid off, through May 31. Current members renewing through July 31 will be allowed to pay what they can.

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“Hospitality training professionals are at the forefront of helping the restaurant, foodservice and lodging industries get back on their feet and get employees ready to serve guests again in the coming weeks,” Serah Morrissey, CHART president and senior director of human resources for the InterContinental Minneapolis – St. Paul Airport, said in a statement. “We want as many hospitality trainers as possible to have immediate access to the tools, resources and network that they desperately need right now.”

 CHART membership includes access to:

  • Ask My Peers: a private, members-only online discussion group that actively shares solutions and best practices
  • Virtual training forums: newly created to address timely and critical COVID-19 topics
  • Regional training forums: in-person and virtual meetings across the U.S.
  • Hospitality Training Magazine: articles and member blogs with practical training content
  • Hospitality Trainer Toolbox: a resource with research, publications and ideas
  • Member directory: contact information for the nation’s top hospitality trainers

CHART has more than 500 members from more than 300 multiunit restaurant, foodservice and lodging companies and represents a workforce of almost 3 million.