GratifID CEO argues that adding digital tipping to 2027 budgets addresses hotel staffing shortages, citing AHLA data showing 42% of operators cite workforce shortages as a top financial pressure.
Hospitality’s growing role as a talent pipeline for luxury retail, private healthcare, wealth management and the wider experience economy reflects not a failure to produce people, but the opposite: the industry develops highly transferable capabilities that many other sectors now actively seek.
The hospitality industry and its education arm have been fighting the battle for business credibility for many years. We “hospitality” has typically been seen as offering jobs on the way to something better, a specialty function that anyone can do.
This is proof that human connection - critical to a guest experience in a hotel or resort - is everlasting. Neither AI nor Covid 19 can take down the power of the "emotional human touch" of welcoming people into our establishments.
Penn State research finds hospitality employees who feel overqualified are more likely to view tasks as unfair, increasing turnover intent, but respectful managers reduced these perceptions by 28%.
CHLAHF awarded $160,000+ in scholarships to 97 students across 18 California colleges, with recipients to be honored at a gala on November 5, 2026, at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel Spa.
Area Sales Manager Aricia Oliveira of Pier House Resort and La Concha Key West argues that LGBTQ+ inclusion and authentic leadership must be year-round practices, not seasonal campaigns.
A data-backed examination of hotel industry workforce culture covering upward mobility, poverty wages, physical injury rates, high turnover, trafficking exposure, and the post-pandemic labor shift.
Hilton and the Hilton Global Foundation are donating 250 million Hilton Honors Points to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, with 10,000+ mentoring moments planned across six U.S. cities starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
As the technologist in the room looking through the lens of the melding of industry workforce and the application of technology, I find this development curious for a number of reasons:AI Singling Out: It's interesting to see the specific technology of AI singled out.
The recent court ruling highlights an important principle: AI adoption should not be a labor replacement solution. The more meaningful question is how AI can help employees work smarter, more efficiently, and ultimately more effectively.Hospitality has always been a people-centered industry.
Hospitality has never been just about systems, processes or efficiency. It has always been about people. The ruling highlights an important point: AI may change how we work, but it should not change what hospitality stands for.As an industry, we should not see AI only as a way to reduce labour costs.
Las Vegas Sands contributed $150,000 to The LGBTQ+ Center of Las Vegas to fund a mobile coffee truck employment program providing job training and housing pathways for 20 housing-insecure youth ages 18-24.
The article argues that AI "vibe coding" tools let hotel training managers build adaptive, personalized training apps for as little as $25/month, addressing a turnover crisis costing operators nearly $6,000 per replaced employee.
Hilton's 2026 Trends Report, drawing on Ipsos and Morning Consult surveys of 2,000+ U.S. workers, finds human-centered leadership, mentorship, and purpose outrank perks and technology as drivers of engagement and retention.
The MLA's 2026 Stars of the Industry event at Fenway Park drew 450+ attendees and honored top hotel employees, managers, and programs across Massachusetts, including an inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award class.
LA City Council voted 9-6 to potentially postpone the $30/hr minimum wage for hotel and airport workers from 2028 to 2030, amid pressure from businesses threatening to repeal the city's gross receipts tax.
We as an industry need to focus on careers and not only jobs. What we have found is that a solid education in hospitality including an internship can prepare people for any service sector career opportunity, hospitality and tourism, retail, healthcare etc.
Hospitality’s talent crisis is not about supply; it is about signalling. For too long, the sector, still dominated by fragmented, family-run SMEs, has relied on informal narratives and outdated assumptions about “passion” and “hard work,” rather than articulating a compelling, modern value proposition.
The perception issue is compelling. Perception matters, especially among Gen Z, but it is often shaped by lived experiences, labor market signals, and what students observe through internships, part-time jobs, and social narratives.Based on my experience working with students, many are not aware of the variety of career opportunities in hospitality.
The Staffing Agency report reveals Canadian hospitality spending reached $104 billion in 2025, but operators struggle with high turnover despite hiring above pre-pandemic levels.
The AHLA Foundation's annual women's leadership event drew 1,000 hospitality professionals to Atlanta, featuring 50+ speakers and 20 breakout sessions focused on advancing women in executive roles.
The Foundation honored Sarai Jacko of Fairmont and Justin Knight of Apple Hospitality REIT at FORWARD/26 for advancing women's careers in hospitality leadership.
AAHOA partnered with Travel Portland to support women's career advancement through networking and mentorship opportunities at a dedicated forum.
The $15,000 grant funds Crime Stoppers, an anonymous reporting program operating since 1983 that offers cash rewards for safety tips.
Newport's Fairfield Inn Charlotte Matthews won Apple Hospitality REIT's Shining Apple Award while team member Tom Johnson earned individual Apple Award recognition.