CHRO Insights Report: How Hospitality HR Leaders Are Modernizing for What’s Next

Only 16% of hospitality CHROs say executive leadership sees HR as a strategic partner.

Hospitality HR teams are operating in a uniquely demanding environment defined by high turnover, persistent labor shortages, and nonstop operational pressure. Despite rising expectations, just a small fraction of hospitality CHROs say executives view HR as a strategic leader with a seat at the decision-making table—while more than one-third say HR is primarily seen as a service function.

Meanwhile, 31% of hospitality HR leaders name employee retention as their top workforce risk, and nearly 3 in 10 say they have no plans to deploy AI in hiring, revealing a critical gap between business needs and how HR is equipped to deliver.

Drawing on insights from 500 hospitality CHROs, this report reveals how leaders are approaching AI and HR technology, where adoption and performance are falling short, and what differentiates organizations that treat HR as a strategic partner.

Fast facts from the field

1 - Future-proofing operations with AI tech and tools

Hiring in hospitality is shaped by constant volume, tight timelines, and limited margin for error. As HR leaders work to modernize hiring operations, the focus is on reducing friction in the most time-intensive parts of the process while preserving trust and candidate experience.

When modernization efforts align with operational realities, hospitality organizations are better positioned to scale hiring effectively and deliver more consistent outcomes.

Hospitality wants AI to address rising risk factors

Hospitality HR leaders prioritize improvements that directly reduce delays and manual effort in fast-moving hiring environments.

Compared to the all-industry benchmark, hospitality shows lower adoption intent and higher hesitation, reinforcing the operational and adoption challenges facing the sector.

2 - Aligning hiring strategy with trust and risk management

As competition for talent intensifies, hospitality HR leaders must balance effective talent tactics with fairness, transparency, and trust throughout the hiring process.

Employee experience matters most

Hospitality leaders place greater emphasis on employee experience and well-being than their peers in other industries, reflecting the importance of retention and engagement in a high-turnover environment.

Lagging enthusiasm for optimizing tech makes sense given hospitality CHROs’ perception of most existing solutions as lackluster. However, HR teams should keep in mind that other industries have a more positive perception of tech. Better tech is out there—likely fueled by more advanced AI technology—and hospitality teams have a huge opportunity leap ahead by setting ambitious goals for new tech onboarding this year.