UN Tourism Launches Online Training on Tourism for Rural Development
UN Tourism has launched its first-ever set of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) dedicated entirely to rural tourism.
Human Resources
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.
By Gillie O’Rourke, President Elect, Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland
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.
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.
By Cara Silletto and Alayna Thomas
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).
By Linchi Kwok
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.
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.
By Dr Lohyd Terrier, Associate Professor, EHL
What’s More Important, Happy Customers or Happy Employees?
Do happy employees make happy customers, or is it the other way around? Do happy customers make employees happy?
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Meliá Hotels International and Les Roches partner to attract and develop talent to lead the future of the hotel group
Meliá Hotels International, Spain's leading hotel group, with more than 400 hotels open or in development across over 40 countries, and recognized as Europe's most sustainable hotel company, also leading globally in several international sustainability rankings, reinforces its commitment to education and professionalization through a strategic partnership with Les Roches.
Melia and Les Roches
Tourism Leader Rossi Ralenkotter Loses Battle with Cancer
The man who helped create the iconic Las Vegas brand-ad campaign, “What Happens Here, Stays Here” has passed away after a 16-year battle with cancer.
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.
By Drew Smith, Director of Training, Quore
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.
By Robert O’Halloran, Professor Director, School of Hospitality Leadership, East Carolina University
The Rise of the Co-CEO
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.
By Keith Kefgen, Managing Director & CEO, AETHOS Consulting Group
The Authenticity Paradox: When Being Real Means Being Responsive
"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.
By Mike Hohnen, Trusted Advisor￨Coach￨Trainer￨Keynote Speaker, Plays Well With Others
Launch of Connecting Future Leaders in Greece – Interview with George, Aristea and Vasiliki Mamidaki
Bluegr Hotels & Resorts’ next generation joins HSMAI Europe’s Connecting Future Leaders – ahead of the programme’s launch in Greece
Quore to Unveil New Training Platform at The Hospitality Show in Denver
Quore, a leader in hotel operations management, will reveal its next-generation Learning Management System at The Hospitality Show in October. The event, to be held October 26 to 28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, will give hotel owners and operators the tools they need to streamline operations and drive profitability.
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.
By Jin Cao, Doctoral Researcher from the International Centre for Hospitality and Aviation Resilience Management (ICHARM), University of West London
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.
By Nasir Zahir
AHLA Foundation Awards More Than $700,000 in Academic Scholarships to 246 Students Nationwide
AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of AHLA dedicated to supporting a strong hotel industry workforce, today announced the distribution of more than $710,000 in academic scholarships to 246 students at 64 schools across the country for the 2025–2026 academic year.
"In the flow" or "On the Flow" comments on work
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.
By Martin Soler, Partner, Soler & Associates