It’s not even 9 o’clock and your front desk manager is already behind. They’ve spent the day answering back-to-back questions from employees. A new team member asks where to find more printer paper. Another says, “A guest requested extra towels but I can’t remember what room they’re in.” A third employee wants to know if they can go home because they are overwhelmed and can’t handle the stress today.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how organizations hire talent. Today, AI is not just a tool but a partner that supports and enhances human decision-making across all six distinct phases of the hiring process, from receiving applications to extending job offers (see Figure 1).
In a world where hotels, restaurants, and tourism organisations face unprecedented complexity - from digital disruption to climate challenges - Professor Ioannis S. Pantelidis of Ulster University invites us to look beneath the surface. His latest work, REEF: Transformational Leadership, draws on lessons from the ocean’s most adaptive ecosystems to inspire a new form of leadership - one that is rhythmic, empathetic, and resilient.
Negotiation skills are among the most underappreciated abilities in the hospitality industry, yet it shapes everything from supplier agreements to guest experiences. Understanding the nuanced art of negotiation can turn the average deal into an opportunity for value creation and a successful partnership. Here, we explore five basic rules to transform your confidence and results at the negotiating table.
Do happy employees make happy customers, or is it the other way around? Do happy customers make employees happy?
The hospitality industry is knee-deep in budgeting season, and there is no better time to begin equipping hotel teams with the right tools and knowledge to operate efficiently, deliver seamless guest experiences, and maintain brand consistency. One of the most essential components of workforce communication is the Learning Management System (LMS). Today’s technology providers are redefining the way hotel teams are continuously trained, and new, intuitive tools contained within modern LMSs are gaining traction across the industry.
Education comes in many shapes and forms. The focus should be on the quality of the education and the value of what is being offered. Hospitality professionals that want to enhance their professionalism and build their educational resumes have numerous choices. In general, hospitality professionals are looking to receive certifications that support their education, advance their careers and increase potential opportunities in a dynamic and new industry landscape.
There has been a recent flurry of announcements from the business press regarding the appointment of Co-CEOs. What was once an oddity is becoming more common place. A recent article by Barron’s Andy Serwer addresses this trend in the broader marketplace. I thought it would be interesting to look at how the hospitality industry is or is not embracing this movement. Of the 8,088 hotel, casino and restaurant companies we track at AETHOS, only 24 had a Co-CEO arrangement, representing less than 1% of the industry.
"Just be yourself." It's the well-meaning advice that's launched a thousand leadership development programmes and probably twice as many LinkedIn posts. But here's the uncomfortable truth: most leaders who try to "be themselves" at work are actually stuck at a surprisingly unsophisticated stage of authenticity.
There is a troubling disconnect in the hotel industry between public commitments and meaningful action on gender equality. Nearly every major hospitality brand now publishes impressive-sounding policies on diversity and inclusion but the reality behind the glossy corporate reports tells a different story.
People older than 50 make up less than a fifth of all hotel employees, revealing a stark underrepresentation of experienced workers in an industry that should value their expertise. Research from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management found that only 3.1% of hotels recruit people aged 65 years or over, despite the potential benefits these workers could bring to the industry.
People talk about “being in the flow” as if it’s some zen productivity state. That’s nice, but what I mean by flow is much more practical: things moving. From left to right, down the funnel, across the team. Progress happens because work doesn’t get stuck.
When staffing shortages hit at peak season, it’s not just guest satisfaction that suffers — room inventory shrinks, and operations strain under pressure. Across U.S. hospitality, uncertain immigration policy is now a key factor shaping workforce strategy. Hotels are adapting with agility: amplifying internal talent pipelines, refining recruiting, and fortifying preparedness against potential enforcement disruptions.
As a conference speaker and hotel trainer, I’m always interested whenever I see the title of an article, book, or blog post that has anything to do with guest service, hospitality, or customer service in general.
Training in hospitality has never been only about tasks. It is about shaping culture, building belonging, and creating pride. In many hotels, however, the process still feels like a box-ticking exercise. New hires memorize scripts, click through online modules, and sign off on checklists. The process ends, but the learning and the loyalty never truly begin.
Have you ever counted how many hours your teams spend each week copying data from one system to another, reconciling payments, or correcting reservation errors? Behind the warm welcome and seamless guest service that define hospitality, there is a less visible reality: hundreds of repetitive, time-consuming tasks that drain your staff’s energy.
In recent years, the increasing use of artificial intelligence has transformed many stages of the hiring process. Among these recruitment tools, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become particularly widespread, offering organizations a way to manage high numbers of applications more systematically. These systems are designed to streamline recruitment by filtering and ranking candidates, but their growing influence also raises considerations regarding their reliability and limitations for both recruiters and job seekers. Can all the qualities that make someone suitable for a role really be captured by such systems?
In a series of discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) in human resource management (HRM), we explored how AI has transformed the traditional HR functions and how HR professionals can remain irreplaceable in the age of AI. To help organizations and HR professionals prepare for the still-evolving AI-empowered workplace, academic research must not only address the relevant and timely research questions but also emphasize the need for responsible and ethical AI use that matters to our industry partners.
The rules and socialization of norms within an organization function as establishing operations to sustain many cultural practices. Their description corresponds to contingencies that set an aversive condition, such as guilt, shame, the feeling of having made a mistake, or fear. These act as a type of control exercised by culture, whose termination reinforces rule compliance. Such contingencies must be easy to understand, since if they are created by the organization, they apply to all its members, who must behave appropriately so as not to interfere with the group’s cultural practices. Otherwise, unpleasant consequences arise for themselves and others. This ensures the maintenance of Organizational Culture and secures the survival of the organization.
When Hospitality Net launched its first viewpoint in its recently launched Luxury GM World Panel, the focus was simple yet profound: What is the single decisive skill that separates an outstanding luxury hotel General Manager from the rest — and why?