Arora Group launches local jobs scheme for London O2 hotel

Surinder Arora

Hotel owner and operator the Arora Group has launched a recruitment and apprenticeship campaign designed to encourage employment in Greenwich, south London.

It has pledged to ensure that 40% of all jobs within the new hotel are given to Greenwich residents, via pre-employment training and interviews facilitated by the Arora Group, and Greenwich jobs brokerage service, GLLaB. This is expected to recruit over 400 people.

The group is also working with local colleges to launch the Arora Apprenticeship Scheme across the hotel, which will select at least 25 people to join the programme. This will pay them an annual salary and enable them to work towards a nationally recognised qualification, with potential for career development.

The 453-bedroom, 18-storey InterContinental London - the O2 is set to open in winter this year, on the Greenwich peninsula. It will have a 3,100 sq m ballroom, a rooftop bar and lounge, and a spa. General manager will be Hasham Soliman.

Surinder Arora, chief executive and co-founder of the privately-owned Arora Group, said the partnership was a "natural choice" for the company, adding: "We are opening our most ambitious leisure and business hotel yet, so it's vital we find the right people, with great local knowledge and a customer-focused attitude. London is one of the most multicultural centres in the world and we're looking for people that have a genuine warmth and spirit."

Councillor Denise Hyland, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: "The new hotel] will significantly add to the landscape of Greenwich peninsula, adding to the superb facilities that make the area such an attraction. We are delighted to be working with the Arora Group to deliver fantastic employment and apprenticeship opportunities to local residents who can be part of the area's incredible transformation."

Privately-owned UK-based hotel company Arora currently operates 2,920 bedrooms and 120 meeting rooms across seven hotels, including several under franchise agreements.

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