'We are looking to provide a lifestyle, a warm environment, a friendly environment,' said Nicole Arnoux, senior manager of club and recreation. 'Some clubhouses, or even hotels, are very polite, yes, but they can be cold. The difference is not obvious but you feel it through your experience when you come in.

'With hotels, the guests come in perhaps once a month or once a year. They are business people. Here we see the residents more as friends, as family, because they live here,' she said.

The increased demand for estate management services was partially the result of changes in the property market, Ms Arnoux said.

A few years ago, flat owners often saw their properties only as a means to make money, but the scenario changed when prices fell.

'Nowadays, people have a property for a longer time, and they want their family to be able to enjoy it. Professional clubhouse management benefits residents' property values,' Ms Arnoux said.

Sino realised it needed excellent staff to meet the residents' high expectations.

'Sino's mission is to provide a lifestyle for the residents of our properties. To have the lifestyle, you must have the people,' Ms Arnoux said.

The firm prepared an extensive customer survey, and the staff jobs were analysed to define staff roles and responsibilities.

New recruits were assessed at behavioural interviews, and staff participated in performance assessments.

Requirements defined in the jobs analysis were then compared with assessment results to identify training needs.

After completing the analysis in 2002, Sino decided to groom talent in-house with an extensive training programme.

The Sino Clubhouse LEAP (learning, experience, application and professionalism) programme aims to enhance new recruits' service skills and attitudes, teach them to handle difficult situations and build operational skills with an emphasis on safety and efficiency.

The programme was piloted and implemented last year at Island Resort.

'The LEAP programme is like education at a university or an international school, as opposed to a local Hong Kong school,' said Joseph Kuh, Island Resort assistant sports and recreation manager.

'A lot of training programmes are classroom-based, and are only one-way. This programme focuses a lot on interaction because the feedback is not only from us, it is also from the trainees.'

Mr Kuh has a master's degree in psychology from the University of Vancouver. LEAP trainees were given a tour of the Conrad Hong Kong by the hotel's key management, and then underwent emotional quotient seminars held by professional doctors.

The trainees take part in daily briefing sessions at which they share their experiences. The briefing is held at 1pm every day so that staff on the day and night shifts can take part together.

Ms Arnoux said these briefings involved free discussions. Staff members are welcome to share experiences if they feel they have handled complaints well.

'We share,' she said. 'They go through the training, and the next time they teach. It's interesting because I'm not always right - sometimes they are.'

Because first-hand experience is emphasised, staff have an opportunity to try the same services they provide.

'We put them in our club spa, so they know what the experience is like,' Ms Arnoux said.

A year of implementation saw the programme bring many benefits to the company and the Island Resort residents. They expressed satisfaction with the facilities and use them more often than before.

The number of customer requests has fallen, staff turnover is down, and fewer maintenance visits are required. Meanwhile, the staff are receiving more compliments, and their rapport with the residents is good.

'We have staff members who are on the Hong Kong football team. The residents came down to challenge them one day, so they went out for a competition,' Ms Arnoux said.

Mr Kuh said many of the residents were retired people, and often treated the staff like their children.

Kumi Wong, assistant sports and recreation officer, said: 'The most important benefit of this programme is that it helps you to change from being passive to active, from being shy to being outgoing.'

Ms Wong has worked at Island Resort for almost three years, and was in the training programme for a year.

However, not all Island Resort residents are impressed by the new level of service. Arthur Chan, who has lived at Park Island since late 2002, said he was less than impressed with the service that staff provided.

'They often forget to turn on the lights of the badminton court I book, and their service is slow,' he said. 'I haven't seen a significant improvement since I started living here.'

But opinions differ within his family. His mother, who uses the clubhouse spa, finds the staff courteous and the service satisfactory.

His brother thinks the service is good overall, but agrees that it may not be the fastest.

The programme was implemented between January and December last year, and 40 staff members were trained. The scheme was rolled out to other Sino Clubhouses this year, and involves 300 staff members.

'I would say the LEAP programme takes more than 1,000 man hours, giving more than 40 hours per head per annum,' said Andy To, Sino Estates Management director and general manager.

Mr To said that hiring training managers and renting training facilities incurred additional costs, but what really showed the company's dedication to human resources development was the time invested by a large number of management and other staff.

Despite the costs, the management has decided to grow their talent in-house to make opportunities available to a large pool of staff.

TO TRAIN OR NOT TO TRAIN

Demand for quality clubhouse services at residential properties has increased over the past few years

The special nature of a residential clubhouse has led Sino Clubhouse to grow its talent in house, thus launching the LEAP programme

LEAP's unique qualities lie in its experiential and interactive nature

A continual development programme with a year-long cycle, LEAP is labour-intensive, costing on average more than 40 man hours per head per annum.

Sino Clubhouse has been able to measure tangible results based on business impact after a year's implementation