Attracting the Best: Recruitment Tips for Hotel Staffing

Struggling to hire the right hotel workers for your hotel? Check out the best ways to recruit and hire hotel workers for your open roles with our handy guide.

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hotel staffing

How to hire hotel workers or resort workers for your hospitality company

From guest services to catering to facilities maintenance, hotel staffing efforts have become strained across all departments and roles due to labor shortages. In fact, over two-thirds of hotels are short-staffed, according to a recent survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

If your hotel or resort needs staffing support, our hotel staffing experts are here to share some recommendations that can help you attract top candidates.

8 tips for successful resort and hotel recruiting

Clearly define roles and responsibilities in your job postings

General job postings for “bartenders,” “front desk attendants” or “facilities services workers” will attract plenty of applicants. However, many of these applicants will not be the best fit for your open roles.

That’s why when crafting your job postings, make sure to be as specific as possible by mentioning the desired experience level along with expected duties and job hours. This ensures that only candidates who meet your standards apply, which can make your hotel staffing process much easier.

Showcase your positive company culture and environment

Maintaining a positive environment within a hotel setting is essential for ensuring guest satisfaction and overall operational success. Your job postings are a great way to highlight how your company values and appreciates each team member’s contributions.

Showcasing your positive company culture can help you hire hotel staff and keep them engaged with their roles. As a result, you’ll benefit from workers who are motivated to go the extra mile for your guests every time.

Highlight any career growth and development opportunities available

A Pew Research Center study notes that 63% of workers cited a lack of advancement opportunities as the reason why they left their last job. A hotel staffing and recruiting plan that highlights career growth and development opportunities can attract dedicated workers who want to build their career in hotels or hospitality.

Offering clear career pathways, such as mentorships, cross-training and upskilling initiatives, can show applicants how much your hotel values your entire team. This helps foster a sense of investment and growth within your company.

Mention any perks and incentives of working for your hotel or resort

What makes your hotel or resort stand out from others as an amazing place to work? You can also use your job postings to emphasize the perks and incentives applicants can expect when they join your team.

Some examples of perks and incentives can include wellness programs or free meals and gift cards, for starters. Employee discounts or complimentary access to your hotel or resort’s amenities can also set you apart from other actively hiring employers in your area.

Promote flexible schedules when you need to hire hospitality workers

A recent McKinsey & Company study notes that 87% of employers now use flexible scheduling to attract more job candidates. Implementing flexible staffing arrangements, like self-scheduling, staggered hours or flextime, can be appealing for many applicants.

With more freedom and flexibility, the hotel staff you hire will experience a better work-life balance. This increases the likelihood that they will perform at their best.

Develop a community presence to expand your hotel hiring pool

Having a presence at job fairs, community workshops and local educational events gives you the opportunity to connect with candidates who are actively searching for work in the hospitality industry. At these events, they can learn about your company culture as well as job perks and career advancement opportunities.

Being involved in your local community also helps you build relationships with others in your area and get a better understanding of your local talent pool. Over time, this strategy can enhance your reputation as an employer, and make future staffing efforts much easier.

Partner with one of the leading hospitality or hotel staffing agencies

Partnering with hotel staffing or hospitality staffing agencies can prove highly beneficial for hotels aiming to recruit top talent in the hospitality industry. These agencies have extensive networks of potential candidates with different skills and experience, helping you tap into a much larger pool of potential hotel employees.

With the expertise and resources of a staffing agency focused on hospitality staffing, hotels can simplify their recruitment efforts and ensure they are considering applicants who have been vetted for their qualifications and culture fit. This saves time and resources during the hotel hiring process and increases your likelihood of finding the right match for your open roles.

Additional resources to support all your hotel hiring needs

Our hospitality and hotel staffing experts at PeopleReady want to offer you some additional resources that could aid in fulfilling your hotel hiring requirements, providing valuable insights and strategies for your overall success. These resources can help you navigate the challenges of recruiting and retaining top talent, ensuring that your hotel staffing efforts go as smoothly as possible.

Hotel staffing

Guide for hotel staffing

Event staffing

Guide for event staffing

Front of house staffing

Guide for front of house staffing (hosts, hostesses, concierges, front desk attendants, guest service representatives)

Guide for usher and parking attendant staffing

Guide for bartender staffing

Back of house staffing

Guide for back of house staffing (prep cooks, line cooks, kitchen cleaners, dishwashers, food runners)

Facilities services staffing

Guide for facilities services staffing (cleaning crew members, janitors, groundskeepers, facilities maintenance workers)

Guide for housekeeper staffing (housekeepers, laundry attendants)

Hospitality staffing solutions are always available with PeopleReady

As a leading hospitality staffing agency with over 30 years of experience, PeopleReady delivers hotel staffing and hospitality staffing solutions in hundreds of markets all across the U.S. We serve major metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Washington D.C., along with many suburbs and rural communities from coast to coast.

Our dedicated team of hospitality staffing experts can help you hire hotel staff across a wide range of roles, from cooks and kitchen staff to guest service workers and more. Plus, our JobStack app makes it easier to manage your hotel hiring needs, ensuring your hotel or resort always has the right number of workers when they’re needed most.

So, if you’re wondering, “Where can I hire hospitality workers near me?” check out our locations page to get started.

Need hotel hiring support?

PeopleReady, a TrueBlue company (NYSE: TBI), specializes in quick and reliable on-demand labor and highly skilled workers. PeopleReady supports a wide range of industries, including construction, manufacturing and logistics, retail and hospitality. Leveraging its top-rated JobStack staffing app, hundreds of local teams, and branches across all 50 states, PeopleReady served approximately 64,000 businesses and put approximately 154,000 people to work in 2023.