In a recent conversation on the Hospitality Daily Podcast, Adam Robinson, CEO of Hireology, shared powerful insights from two recent studies: the Hireology 2024 Hospitality Applicant Survey and the Hireology-AHLA Food & Beverage Hiring Report. These reports reveal essential strategies for hotel operators to navigate hiring challenges and turn recruitment into a competitive advantage. This article distills that conversation and the data into actionable steps, equipping hotel managers to meet candidate expectations in a complex labor market.
The Landscape: Hotel Hiring Trends Today
2024 saw a notable shift in hospitality hiring. According to Robinson, “What we’ve seen happen this year is general sluggishness after a breakneck pace of hiring.” Hotels are now mostly “hiring to the replacement rate” instead of expanding staff, a shift resulting from reduced financing and limited new property development. For operators, this means each hire counts more than ever.
Adding to this complexity is a fundamental change in how candidates approach job offers. Robinson notes, “There’s more confidence in their employment prospects. People are more selective now. Now it’s more like, ‘Okay, I appreciate that you’re interested in employing me, but is this the best thing for me? How will this alter my life for the better?’” Candidates who once prioritized pay now seek stability, flexibility, and growth.
What This Means for Hotel Operators:
- Higher Stakes for Each Hire: With a tight budget and limited new positions, each hire is crucial. Hotel managers must focus on creating supportive and stable work environments that make them competitive against other employment options.
- Candidate Selectiveness: Today’s workforce expects more than just pay, and they have options. Robinson observes, “There is a greater emphasis from the job seeker in their search on flexibility and just general well-being.” Hotels that align their offerings with these values will have a competitive advantage.
Top Takeaways from Research on Hotel Hiring
Robinson shared data his company has conducted, uncovering significant trends in what job seekers want today and where hotels can optimize their recruiting approach. Here are a few top findings:
- Flexibility Ranks High, Right After Pay: While salary remains a top priority, candidates are increasingly motivated by flexibility. This means that hotels can start looking at flexibility as a big factor that could help reduce employee turnover and wage inflation.
- Candidates Seek Growth and Well-Being: Job seekers prioritize employers who emphasize well-being and career growth. This trend is an opportunity for hotels to move beyond the “wage spiral” and attract long-term employees by providing clear growth paths and a positive work environment.
- The Power of Referrals: With 88.5% of hospitality job seekers willing to refer friends to a former employer if they had a positive experience, referrals are a highly effective recruiting channel. “Hotel management can drive 40% of their hires from referrals,” Robinson notes, underscoring the value of a well-run referral program.
- Application Abandonment Remains High: Up to 73% of candidates abandon applications that are too long or complex, especially on mobile devices. Streamlining the application process is essential to prevent losing interested candidates.
Make the Job Application Process Easier
Robinson highlights that we’re in an industry where almost 80% of people run their entire job search process on their phone, yet complex applications remain a major barrier. Long, multi-step forms discourage applicants, especially younger talent, from completing applications.
Here’s how to streamline the process:
- Minimize Required Fields: Limit the application to core information, such as name, contact details, and key qualifications. Applications with 5-7 fields or fewer are most likely to be completed.
- Optimize for Mobile: According to Robinson, “If your website requires users to create a login to apply for a job, you’re losing about 70% of your traffic.” Make sure applications are mobile-friendly, with simplified fields and easy navigation.
- Experience Your Own Application Process: “Try to apply for a job at your own hotel on your phone and just note the experience,” Robinson suggests. This can reveal bottlenecks and help identify areas for improvement.
Action Step: Test your hotel’s application process on a mobile device. Streamline fields and eliminate unnecessary steps like logins to ensure a smooth and fast candidate experience.
How to Drive More Referrals
Referrals offer hotel employers a cost-effective way to source high-quality candidates. Robinson emphasizes that a well-designed referral program should be simple, transparent, and rewarding. “Hotel management can drive 40% of their hires from referrals,” he shared, which is an effective strategy to recruit loyal and engaged talent.
- Make Referrals Easy: Allow employees to submit referrals quickly using QR codes, text links, or a dedicated mobile page. Avoid complicated processes or paper forms.
- Provide Real-Time Updates: Employees should be able to see the status of their referrals. Transparency boosts engagement, as employees know when they’ll receive bonuses or see their referral progress.
- Automate Payouts: Integrate the referral process with payroll and hiring systems to automate referral bonuses, ensuring employees don’t need to follow up manually.
Action Step: Launch an easy-to-use, tech-enabled referral program across your team, with regular updates and incentives to encourage participation.
Action Items for Hotel GMs and Property-Level Hiring Managers
Robinson encourages hiring managers on the property level to focus on speed and consistent communication. Here are his top two metrics to keep the hiring process efficient:
- Respond to Applications Within 24-48 Hours: The number one thing you could do is just over-communicate. Think of it like you would treat a guest.” Applicants expect a fast response, ideally within 24-48 hours, to stay engaged. Delayed responses can lead to candidate drop-off.
- Schedule Interviews Quickly: “Candidates want the process to move forward swiftly,” Robinson explains. 88% of candidates want interviews within a week of applying. Prompt interview scheduling helps prevent candidates from accepting other offers before you reach out.
Action Step: Make application review speed and time-to-interview key performance indicators (KPIs) for property managers. Consider setting up reminders or automated messages to ensure candidates are updated within recommended timeframes.
Action Items for Corporate Hotel Leaders
Corporate leaders have a big opportunity to create a data-driven, efficient hiring process across properties. Robinson suggests focusing on data transparency and hiring support for each property.
- Implement Centralized Tracking and Data: Leaders should have visibility into hiring metrics at the property level to monitor the efficiency of each location’s process. Robinson suggests that corporate leaders “manage by exception” and need to know which properties are excelling or need support.
- Encourage and Standardize Referrals: Invest in a company-wide referral program and educate property managers on the benefits. “Do you know which five hiring managers are the slowest to review applicants across your portfolio?” Robinson asks, suggesting that leaders could then share insights across properties to replicate successful strategies.
- Build an Alumni Network: Hireology’s research shows that 77% of former employees would consider returning to a previous employer if they had a positive experience. Corporate leaders should maintain connections with past employees by regularly updating them on new openings.
Action Step: Invest in tracking tools for property-specific insights and provide resources to support referral programs and alumni engagement initiatives.
Summary Recap
Today’s hospitality hiring landscape is complex, with job seekers expecting flexibility, streamlined application processes, and responsive communication. Adam Robinson’s insights, supported by data from Hireology’s studies, reveal several strategies hotels can adopt to stay competitive:
- Prioritize Flexibility and Well-Being: Today’s candidates value work-life balance, growth, and culture as much as pay.
- Simplify the Application Process: Optimize for mobile with minimal fields and remove unnecessary steps to prevent drop-offs.
- Strengthen Referral Programs: If the referral process is easy and incentivized, referrals can make up nearly 40% of hires.
By implementing these strategies, hotel operators can attract and retain top talent, aligning their hiring practices with what today’s workforce values most and turning recruitment into a long-term competitive advantage.
Resources:
- Survey of Hospitality Job Seekers by Hireology
- Hotel Food & Beverage Hiring research by Hireology
- The Hospitality Hiring Best Practices Checklist by Hireology
You can watch our full conversation here on YouTube:
