Hospitality relies on the people performing the wide range of roles across the industry to keep the wheels turning, from kitchen staff and receptionists to IT experts and management. With competition among employers tough and staff turnover high, eight HR professionals share their thoughts with HN on how the sector can identify, hire and hold on to talents.

What recruiters are looking for
Ongoing staff shortages, together with the tendency that candidates have to not stay long in a job, are forcing employers to rethink their whole recruitment processes and structure. Many employers desperate to tackle the issue of staff shortages are now accepting people from different sectors without any experience in hospitality. If candidates have the right attitude, a charming personality and are willing to learn and grow, then employers can teach them the skills they need through theoretical and on-job training.

Attracting the new generations
Gen. Z are the hospitality recruiters’ new target market for filling roles in the industry. To successfully attract them, we need first to understand their characteristics, their requirements and what makes them tick. Gen. Z’s expectations include quick promotions, a job that will offer them the opportunity for international travel, flexibility over authority, a company’s mission that aligns with their own values, various opportunities for growth and development, empathetic leaders, consistent feedback and overall happiness in their working environment. It is also a generation that values experiences over material stuff.

The retention challenge
By observing Millennials and Gen. Z, and their attitude towards the job market, we’ve noticed that they are looking
for balance between professional and personal life, for appreciation and respect from employers and for fair remuneration packages. If we want to retain staff within the hospitality industry, a change in our attitude and approach is a big must.
For employers, this includes: creating a positive culture in the workplace, where employees can come together, bounce ideas off each other and feel nurtured and appreciated; and adopting a system of consistent training and reskilling, as a way to keep their employees interested and engaged, so they are less likely to look for other opportunities elsewhere. Having provided them with the “tools” to perform their duties, employers should entrust their people to produce quality work without constantly micromanaging them.

What recruiters are looking for
The hospitality sector is being transformed by digitization and automation to improve the guest experience. To support this, hospitality companies need to recruit digital specialists, including data analysts, mobile app developers, designers and online marketing managers, among others. In hospitality, we need individuals who are passionate about delivering high-quality guest experiences and can think on their feet.

Attracting the new generations
Last year, we commissioned a survey in the UAE to analyze what young people want from their ideal job in a post-pandemic workplace. The survey revealed that 64 percent have considered taking a role in hospitality during the previous 12 months. Among the benefits that a job in hospitality offers, respondents pointed to learning new skills (23 percent), meeting people from all walks of life (21 percent), and the ability to travel the world (20 percent) as the most desirable attributes. When asked to identify their dream job, the top choices were business manager, project manager, engineering, and sales manager – all roles that can be achieved through a career in hospitality.

The retention challenge
Employees today value a company with a clear purpose, a focus on sustainability and strong wellbeing resources. They seek a diverse and meaningful work environment, where individuals are empowered with the tools, technology and culture to unleash their full potential and achieve their career aspirations. According to the survey, respondents who have considered taking up a job in hospitality said they would want an employer who: values their employees (39 percent); offers opportunities to work in different countries (28 percent); and champions sustainability throughout their operations (25 percent). Millennials and Gen. Zs said it would be very important for them to work for an organization that had strong mental health and wellbeing policies in place. Job stability, social interaction in the workplace and strong policies on diversity, equity and inclusion also emerged as key areas of importance.

What recruiters are looking for
The hospitality sector is looking for a variety of skills and qualities when it comes to recruitment. Some of the key things important to employers in the sector are: customer service skills; communication skills: flexibility; attention to detail; teamwork; experience; and language skills.

Attracting the new generations
One of the main attractions is the flexibility that the industry offers. Many hospitality jobs are part-time or offer flexible schedules, which is ideal for students or those looking for work-life balance. Others include career opportunities, the opportunity for social interaction and travel. Hospitality jobs often require creativity and innovation, whether it’s designing a new menu or creating a unique guest experience, which can offer openings for those who enjoy using their creativity to solve problems and come up with new ideas.
Overall, the hospitality industry offers a variety of benefits that can make it an attractive career choice for new generations.

Hiring hurdles
The hospitality industry faces several challenges in hiring new talents, which include: high turnover rates, meaning employers need to constantly source new candidates and ensure that they have a steady pipeline of talent; seasonal demand, making it difficult to find employees who are willing to work only during the busy season; competition for talent, with employers often having to compete with other businesses in the industry for top talent; work-life balance, due to the long or irregular hours of some roles; and language barriers, which can make it difficult to find qualified candidates for certain positions, such as customer-facing roles.

The retention challenge
Retaining employees is important for the success of any business. Ways that employers in the hospitality sector can retain their employees include: providing competitive compensation; creating a positive work culture: offering flexible schedules; providing opportunities
for advancement; providing regular feedback; and listening to employee feedback.

What recruiters are looking for
The hospitality sector typically looks for a range of skills and qualities when recruiting new employees, depending on the specific roles and positions being filled. Some of the key things that employers in the hospitality sector may look for in candidates are: relevant experience in a similar role or industry; customer service skills and excellent communication; flexibility; collaboration and teamwork; attention to detail; and technical skills, such as knowledge of specific software or equipment, cooking skills or language proficiency. More broadly, the hospitality industry values candidates who are passionate about providing excellent service, willing to learn and adapt, and are able to make a positive contribution to the team and the guest experience.

Attracting the new generations
Besides being a people-oriented industry, hospitality is creative. You are creating a product — be that food, drink or a hotel stay experience — and there’s always new ways of making it more enjoyable for your customers. It also offers attractive perks to the staff and their families in terms of discounts on restaurants, entertainment and venues, as well as travel opportunities. Opportunities for career growth and advancement are another draw. With the right skills and experience, individuals can move up the ranks from entry-level positions to managerial roles and even to executive positions within a company.

Hiring hurdles
The pandemic altered the hiring landscape across most industries, including hospitality, especially with the introduction of remote working benefits. Challenges now include: attracting suitable and qualified candidates; ensuring a good candidate experience; hiring quickly; building a strong employer brand; and recruiting fairly.

What recruiters are looking for
The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia is looking for the right candidates to drive the tourism industry forward in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 roadmap. Candidates with a positive attitude and passion for hospitality, and excellent skills in communication, customer service and problem-handling and solving, especially those who are fluent in Arabic and English, are a must. Individuals with a relevant degree in hospitality or related fields and experience working in this industry are always preferred. The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia is constantly on the lookout for individuals who are flexible, adaptable, value diversity and are able to work in a fast-paced environment as part of a team.

Attracting the new generations
The future for the hospitality industry is undoubtedly bright, with the sector potentially able to attract new generations for a variety of reasons. These include: the tourism industry being in the midst of rapid growth; a high demand for skilled workers; competitive salaries; a dynamic work environment; and plenty of international exposure.

Hiring hurdles
The main challenge is a shortage of local talent with the necessary skills and experiences, especially at a managerial level. Another challenge is high turnover, which is mainly due to strong demand across the market. However, we remain optimistic since the Ministry of Tourism recently introduced several initiatives focused on creating awareness among Saudi nationals about the opportunities in the hospitality field. The ministry is also channeling substantial investment into learning and development for Saudi citizens through various local and international training programs.

The retention challenge
Retention of employees has always been challenging and a key focus for any and all organizations all around the globe.
I believe implementing some of the basic practices within the organization, like paying competitive salaries and benefits, offering the right environment, allowing employees to speak their minds, showing appreciation and respect to them, encouraging their input and feedback, identifying and investing in high performers, offering the ability for them to grow through different learning and development programs, and keeping them engaged in different entertainment and sports activities throughout year, can really make a difference for any organization and this is what we, as Rotana Hotels, work toward achieving.

What recruiters are looking for There are several key characteristics we look for when recruiting our teams. First and foremost, we look for “people that are passionate about people,” as caring for others is in our DNA and the nature of our business. We also look for individuals that work with purpose, who have attention to detail and love creating experiences for guests, as we create memories that stay, by connecting people and cultures. Moreover, our team members love challenges, solving problems, are supportive and have fun working as a team.

Attracting the new generations
The hospitality industry offers fast career development, alongside flexible work schedules. These are two aspects which are definitely attractive to the new generations looking to commence their careers. Another wonderful advantage of working in the hospitality industry is having the opportunity to make an impact on the communities around, not just at their work at the hotel. If they want to give back to their local community, we offer a number of industry-leading programs which they can enroll on.

Hiring hurdles
The hospitality industry has a nature of being 24/7, which doesn’t suit every profile. It is also highly competitive in which, of course, everyone is looking to recruit the best talent in the market. One of the main challenges we observed is that as business recovered in our region, there was a high demand for talent, yet unfortunately many countries remained closed or had restricted travel – therefore, hotels were recruiting from the same local pool of talent. As borders started to re-open, we have been given the opportunity to recruit from a much wider pool of talent internationally.

What recruiters are looking for
Since the announcement of Vision 2030, the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia has undergone a tremendous expansion, with the Kingdom taking its place among the world’s most attractive tourism destinations. This growth needs to be met by a skilled workforce which is passionate and possesses the required skillsets and competencies to deliver the best services for customers. With demand rising rapidly for employees meeting these requirements, especially in hotels and F&B, the Ministry of Tourism has launched a variety of training programs and continues to do so, in collaboration with top hospitality institutes globally and in the Kingdom. These programs include various levels and pathways to equip Saudi citizens with what they need to form part of the workforce capable of meeting the demands of the market, take the sector forward and thrive. These initiatives are paving the way for the creation of great jobs and careers for Saudis now and also for the next generations.

The retention challenge
Investing in an employee’s growth, together with wage increments and retention bonuses are effective tools that organizations consider when it comes to employee retention. Retaining employees in the hospitality industry was highly challenging in the past, since most jobs were considered temporary by many jobseekers rather than offering a sustainable career, with interest instead largely focused on other industries such as oil and gas, due to the rapid training and development programs, high wages and incentives offered. With Vision 2030 in place, the Kingdom is now attracting the most renowned hospitality organizations to the market and competing to deliver the best services and experiences for their guests, placing Saudi Arabia among the top tourism destinations. In this context, most hospitality organizations are now focused on developing adequate and fruitful training programs for their staff while continuously assessing their succession planning, which has resulted in a significant boost to employees’ morale and sustainability.

What recruiters are looking for
We focus on hiring talent with heart; skills can be learned. It is more than simply a matter of choosing the most qualified or most experienced candidates. We typically select people who, while diverse in their backgrounds, experience and skills, share one common quality – a genuine passion for delivering intuitive service and connecting with others in meaningful ways. Many strong candidates come from other customer service-orientated industries and roles with transferrable skills, while some may have less relevant experience, but are a good fit in terms of attitude and passion for hospitality.

Attracting the new generations
A career in hospitality appeals to the new generation’s sense of adventure and desire to travel. Working in hospitality offers a meaningful way to connect with others and experience the world. In this industry, we get to make a genuine difference every day. Sometimes, this could be a small gesture of helping people get to a meeting on time − other times, it may be a bigger difference, such as arranging a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a guest. This makes it an attractive choice for young people who wish to make a positive impact on the world and the lives of others.

Hiring hurdles
As we embrace the pent-up demand for travel post-pandemic, we are continuing to address labor shortage impacts. Great progress is being made on this front as we know that the industry provides fantastic opportunities and exceptional career paths. Hospitality often has a reputation for being fast-paced and demanding. Here in the MENA region, we are contributing to an improved work-life balance by shifting to a five-day week from the industry’s typical six-day working week. When it comes to hiring, the new generation is effectively interviewing us and rightfully so. It is increasingly important among young people to choose to work for a company that aligns with their personal values in areas such as sustainability and diversity and inclusion.