HRchitect Assists First Hospitality To Seamlessly Integrate Acquisitions Into UKG Ready

Client Background

First Hospitality provides essential staffing solutions for hotels and events, supplying butlers, waiters, cooks, housekeeping staff, and more. As a full-service hospitality firm under their parent company, Isabella Finance Group, First Hospitality is committed to delivering top-tier staffing across various functions. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, the company has over seventy locations in Illinois and California, and employs nearly 4,000 people.

The Challenge

Following the acquisition of two smaller organizations, First Hospitality needed to integrate two new entities into their existing UKG Ready system by building out payroll systems and establishing tax IDs before the start of a new calendar year. Faced with this significant challenge, First Hospitality contacted UKG, but UKG told them that this project would not be possible without a strong consulting partner. The project posed hurdles including importing thousands of new employee records stored solely in Excel spreadsheets and establishing payroll processes within a stringent timeframe.

Client Profile

• Hospitality firm specializing in hotel management, restaurant & bar operations, hotel development, and investment management
• Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois
• 3,700+ employees
• Engaged HRchitect to assist with the setup of two newly acquired smaller hotel companies

The Project

Due to the extremely short timeframe, and project complexity, UKG recommended HRchitect as a consulting partner for this engagement, because of HRchitect’s track record of success working with tight timelines and complex projects. The HRchitect consultant aligned to this engagement with First Hospitality provided the necessary UKG Ready expertise and skillset to manage the data integration and system setup effectively.

Key Benefits

• Seamless integration of multiple EINs into the UKG Ready system
• Timely and accurate payroll processing for the newly integrated employee groups
• Enhanced payroll management capabilities for new employees

The Results

Thanks to HRchitect’s detailed implementation and support services, a big bang deployment strategy was employed to integrate all aspects of the new acquisitions into the existing UKG Ready system. The HRchitect consultant dedicated over 90 hours of configuration within the initial weeks to ensure that the project stayed on schedule, completing the engagement within an ambitious four-week timeframe.

The project was a resounding success, with First Hospitality processing their first payroll one week ahead of their payroll deadline. According to the First Hospitality team, their HRchitect consultant made every effort to make the First Hospitality team comfortable while also meeting their very tight deadline.

This achievement not only exceeded First Hospitality’s expectations but also reinforced HRchitect’s reputation as a consulting partner that organizations can trust for the most complex and ambitious UKG projects.

“Our HRchitect consultant was super helpful, kept the lines of communication open, and was available 24/7.”

-First Hospitality project team member

HRchitect is proud to add First Hospitality to its portfolio of satisfied retail & hospitality clients, which includes organizations such as:

• Cartier
• Choice Hotels
• El Car Wash
• Gelson’s Market
• H&M
• Keeneland
• La Quinta
• Psycho Bunny
• Ridley Family Markets
• Starboard Cruise Services
• Star Nursery
• The Home Depot