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Opinion Articles

Opinion Article

Strategic Hospitality Workforce Redesign: Unlocking New Opportunities

The digital shelf has fundamentally reshaped how hospitality products are presented and sold, and this transformation extends far beyond just revenue channels; it presents an unparalleled opportunity to radically redesign our workforce and job roles. In an environment where every product is digitally accessible and discoverable, the focus shifts from siloed departmental functions to a holistic, across-property experience management strategy. This isn’t just a strategic luxury; it’s a genuine requirement for delivering a comprehensive customer experience, unlocking significant revenue growth, and achieving true operational cohesion in hospitality.

Mark Fancourt
By Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
Opinion Article

Leveraging Mentorship for Hospitality Career and Industry Advancement

When Dana Kelly, Owner of Penrose Hospitality Solutions, found herself wanting to pivot her career from working in behavioral health to a role in the hospitality industry, she didn’t know where to start. Setting out in an industry in which she had few connections or business acumen, Dana sought out tools to help ease the transition, leading her to NEWH, Inc.’s Martha’s Mentors program. It’s here that she was paired with Jeanne Varney, Senior Lecturer at the Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and Past International President of NEWH, Inc.

Jeanne VarneyDana Kelly
By Jeanne Varney and Dana Kelly
Opinion Article

How Can Hotels Step Up Their Recruitment Game?

The global hospitality industry is forecast to see its labour demand climb in the coming years, but persisting labour shortages and other challenges in hiring and retaining employees could make it very difficult to meet these needs. Hotels should implement innovative strategies to overcome the current barriers to successful recruitment.

Roger Allen
By Roger Allen, Group Chief Executive Officer, RLA Global
Opinion Article

What Type of Business Do You Want to Run? The Choice Between Cohesive and Disconnected Hospitality

The hospitality industry is continually presented with the alluring, yet often ambiguously defined, promise of “all-in-one” technology platforms. This term of reference for ‘all-in-one‘ can mean so many things and are highly topical to the specific business footprint itself. While discussions often orient towards the front of the house, back-of-house ‘all-in-one’ has been a multi-decade aged capability that is frankly underutilized. The crucial point is that there is no inherent limitation to the breadth of what ‘all-in-one’ can encompass; the only true constraint is the depth of product capability within it. This is the essence of an all-in-one hospitality platform.

Mark Fancourt
By Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
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Opinion Article

As Nights Grow Darker: Using Gender Impact Assessments to Protect Female Employees in the Hotel Industry

When the lights dim and hotel guests settle down for the night, a different reality often emerges for female workers. For many women – especially shift workers – fewer daylight hours brought about by winter can increase risk of harassment, intimidation, or violence.

Gillie O’Rourke
By Gillie O’Rourke, President Elect, Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland
Opinion Article

Why Hospitality Education Needs a Reality Check

For much of the late twentieth century, hospitality education was a model of how academia could work hand in hand with industry. The UK led the world in creating postgraduate programmes that balanced academic rigour with real-world relevance, producing graduates equally at ease in boardrooms and hotel kitchens. These programmes nurtured qualities such as leadership, resilience, creativity, and good people management, essential to an industry built on human connection.

Dr. Charalampos (Babis) GiousmpasoglouIoannis S. Pantelidis
By Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Giousmpasoglou and Ioannis S. Pantelidis
Opinion Article

Why Today's Workforce Needs More from Managers

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.

Cara SillettoAlayna Thomas
By Cara Silletto and Alayna Thomas
Opinion Article

How AI is revolutionizing the hiring process

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).

Linchi Kwok
By Linchi Kwok, Professor and Department Chair, Cal Poly Pomona
HN Original
Opinion Article

Interview: What Ocean Wisdom Can Teach Hospitality Leaders - A Conversation with Professor Ioannis S. Pantelidis

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.

By Henri Roelings and Ioannis S. Pantelidis
Opinion Article

Five Key Negotiation Skills Every Hospitality Leader Should Master

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.

Dr Lohyd Terrier
By Dr Lohyd Terrier, Associate Professor, EHL
Opinion Article

Online Training Tools Are Boosting Productivity of Maintenance & Housekeeping Teams at Hotels

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.

Drew Smith
By Drew Smith, Director of Training, Quore
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Opinion Article

Earning Professional Designations and Credentials: What, Why and How?

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.

Robert O’Halloran
By Robert O’Halloran, Professor Director, School of Hospitality Leadership, East Carolina University
Opinion Article

Reading Between the Lines: What Hotel Companies Do Not Say About Gender Equality

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.

Jin Cao
By Jin Cao, Doctoral Researcher from the International Centre for Hospitality and Aviation Resilience Management (ICHARM), University of West London
Opinion Article

Age Discrimination Against Veteran Hoteliers: The Brand Experience Paradox

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.

Nasir Zahir
By Nasir Zahir