A ‘Global Hospitality’ Evolution: UH Hilton College Changes Name
The University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management has changed its name to the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership.
Human Resources
The Marcus Corporation Announces Douglas A. Neis to Retire
The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) today announced that executive vice president and chief financial officer Douglas A. Neis will retire May 15, 2022, after 36 years of service. As part of this planned transition, Chad Paris, current corporate controller and treasurer of The Marcus Corporation, will be promoted to chief financial officer upon Neis’s retirement. Neis will serve as an advisor to the company following the transition.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Partners with Talkspace to Provide Licensed Therapy to Guests and Employees
Today, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced a partnership with leading online behavioral health company, Talkspace, rolling out mental health services to its guests and to 4,000+ employees across the country. The KimptonxTalkspace partnership is the first of its kind to bring meaningful and accessible mental health support to hospitality employees, who have been front line workers throughout the pandemic, as well as to travelers managing everyday stresses on the road.
Forbes Magazine Recognizes Hard Rock® as One of America’s Best Large Employers Across Travel, Leisure and Entertainment for 2022
Hard Rock International has been named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers for 2022, earning a ranking among other prestigious companies in the “Travel & Leisure” industry – which spans hotels, resorts, restaurants and entertainment entities. This is the sixth time the brand has been recognized with this honor since 2015, and comes on the heels of Hard Rock ranking first in its category last year.
FIU launches hospitality course to elevate diversity in the C-suite
As part of a new initiative to create a pathway for talented Black and Hispanic hospitality management students to seek positions in executive leadership or professorships in hospitality management programs, Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is launching its first-ever diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) academic course. Senior Seminar Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a for-credit course offered this spring, examines the challenges and paths to success for Black and Hispanics in the hospitality industry. Issues that are key to the advancement and development of Blacks and Hispanics are addressed by the guest speakers and include topics such as leadership, stereotypes, biases, microaggressions and accessibility."The world's leading hospitality companies and programs must do better to racially diversify leadership in the C-Suite, where Black men and women represent just 0.1 percent of all industry CEOs and presidents," said Brian Barker, FIU Hospitality DEI-endowed professor. "It's imperative that hospitality programs start the process and work together with major hospitality companies to level the playing field and ensure pathways to success."This course is part of an ongoing commitment to address gaps in underrepresentation and inequity across the hospitality industry. One in five people working in the hospitality industry, specifically the hotel business, are Black, yet just 1.6 percent of hospitality industry executives are Black, according to a review of over 800 hospitality companies by the Castell Project.Last month, FIU’s top 10 U.S. public hospitality program and Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer's)—the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol—announced a groundbreaking alliance focused on DEI. The alliance's focus includes a broad range of opportunities in addition to educational programming, such as academic research, recruiting, mentoring, career pathing, scholarships, employee training/micro-credentialing and other partnerships. “FIU has the most diverse hospitality school in the United States, with 74 countries represented in its student body and graduating more Black and Hispanic undergraduate students than any other school," said Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School. "This course is the start to a more inclusive future in the hospitality industry for our students and the industry as a whole."
Investing in Training Hotel Employees
Given the challenges U.S. hotels are having attracting and retaining employees, the need to invest in employee training is as great as it has ever been. Unfortunately, training expenditures, like all operating expenses, have been subject to major cuts in response to the extremely reduced levels of revenue incurred during 2020 and 2021.
By Robert Mandelbaum, Director of Research Information Services, CBRE Hotels
Hotel Industry Foundation Leads Effort to Address Labor Shortage With National Ad Campaign
As the nationwide labor shortage continues to make headlines, the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation (AHLAF) is launching a new, nationwide ad campaign to help fill the tens of thousands of open jobs across the country. This multi-year effort – the first of its kind for the Foundation – aims to attract job seekers and help them discover the multitude of career pathways, competitive wages, benefits and perks the industry offers, while ushering a new, diverse talent pool to the hospitality arena.
Marriott Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel Partners with Bear Robotics to Hire its First Ever Full-Time Robot Employee, Betty Bot
Marriott Fort Lauderdale Airport is excited to announce the hire of their first ever full-time robot employee, Betty Bot. Today, Betty joins the team as a busser at the newly opened hotel’s restaurant Radiant166, where she will help to deliver a quality guest experience.
President & CEO Ken Greene to Depart AAHOA
AAHOA today announced that President & CEO Ken Greene will leave the organization in February to pursue another opportunity. The AAHOA Board of Directors will immediately begin its search for his replacement.
AHLA Announces 2022 Officers, Board, Executive Committee; Launches New Strategic Plan
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today announced its 2022 Officers, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, which includes top leaders representing all segments of the hospitality industry at a pivotal time for the industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Coming on the heels of record membership and engagement over the past two years, AHLA is launching a new strategic plan to guide the future of the association.
U.S. Travel Reacts to Underwhelming December Jobs Report
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ December employment report, which showed that the Leisure & Hospitality (L&H) sector added 53,000 jobs while the overall economy added just 199,000:
Why workers are fleeing the hospitality sector
Restaurant and hotel bosses have had a tough year. Some 700,000 hospitality workers threw in the towel on average each month in the past year. Bars, cafés and eateries are 1.3m workers short relative to the 16.9m employed before covid-19. On January 4th the Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that a record 4.5m Americans quit their jobs in November, 9% up on a month earlier. The quit rate in leisure and hospitality jumped by a percentage point, to 6.4%. Uncertainty from the Omicron variant may make matters worse: as cases surged in December, restaurant footfall fell sharply, according to OpenTable, an online booking website.
A Look at US and Hotel Employment Data in 2021
Throughout 2021, employers in the U.S. struggled to hire and retain employees as the economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
School of Hospitality Administration Celebrates 40th Anniversary amid a Time of Rapid Change
The hospitality industry was already changing fast before COVID-19, but as BU’s School of Hospitality Administration celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, the pandemic has greatly accelerated that process.
U.S. Travel Names Search Committee to Identify Association’s Next President and CEO
U.S. Travel Association National Chair Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, today announced nine industry leaders, drawn from the association’s board of directors, to serve on a committee to identify the incoming president and chief executive officer of U.S. Travel following the July retirement of Roger Dow.
Mark Hoefling Joins Newport Hospitality Group, Inc. as Vice President of Operations
Newport Hospitality Group, Inc. (NHG), a leading hotel management company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Hoefling as Vice President of Operations.
Choice Hotels and Concord Hospitality Introduce Hospitality Management Training Program
Building on the company's commitments to increasing diversity across the hospitality industry, Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) and Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company are sponsoring a hospitality management accelerator program for recent students graduating from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to gain valuable experience at the upscale Cambria Hotels brand.
U.S. Travel & Tourism saw labor shortfall of almost 700,000 in 2021
A new analysis of staff shortages by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global private Travel & Tourism sector, reveals the sector realized a U.S. labor shortfall of almost 700,000 workers during 2021. According to the report, the outlook for 2022 is only slightly more positive, with approximately 480,000 direct* U.S. Travel & Tourism jobs, or one in 13 positions, predicted to go unfilled next year.
[Study] The Great Resignation is here. What 3,700 Restaurant Employees are Looking For To Stay Engaged
Restaurants, among the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, are in the midst of a labor shortage. Employees who left during the pandemic aren't coming back, and it's increasingly difficult to find people to work in restaurants.
U.S. Travel and Tourism Diversity Matters Announce Partnership
The U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Diversity Matters announce a new strategic partnership that will strengthen the association’s focus and support of the industry on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and provide greater access to Tourism Diversity Matters’ subject matter expertise, research and resources.