Your employees are key to your hotel’s long-term, sustainable success. After all, they’re the ones who ensure the smooth running of your hotel and who act as your brand ambassadors. That’s why you want to ensure you have the best ones working for you and that you keep them on for the long run.

But between the dried up labour market and “The Great Resignation,” in which employees are quitting at record numbers, we know all too well it’s hard to find employees - let alone hire those who are perfect for your hotel.

In a recent American Hotel & Lodging Association survey, 91% of hotels said they’re struggling to fill open positions (AHLA, 2022)

In the same survey, 87% of respondents said they’re experiencing a staffing shortage, with 36% describing their shortages as severe (AHLA, 2022)

One in five workers have quit or plan to quit their jobs by the end of 2022 (PwC, 2022)

Know who’s on your team first. Investigate the make-up of your current team in order to identify gaps where you can hire more diverse talent. Your goal = to hire 50% People representing diverse backgrounds (which should be reflective of your community’s demographics).

Have a Purpose. Having a Purpose in place will not only help your hotel to stick out, but attract those People who identify with that Purpose and want to contribute to its success.

Define your ideal candidate. Create an Ideal Candidate Profile that outlines your ideal candidate’s Behaviour/Attitude/Values, Skills/Experience, Goals, Needs (what they look for in a job) and Offerings (what your hotel can give them in return).

Use inclusive language in your job ad. Craft a job ad that uses inclusive language in order to appeal to a broader audience. To help you with this, download The Sustainable Hotel Insights: Job Ads HERE.

Cast a wide net. Market your job listings on different channels in order to reach more diverse candidates: set up an employee referral programme, reach out to hospitality schools, contact job programmes, post in groups where diverse candidates congregate, post on (local) job boards, hire a headhunter and promote on your online channels.

Assess the fit. In addition to the standard interview questions, ask the candidates the following questions to see if they meet the Ideal Candidate Profile you created: “What are your goals for the role?”, “What are your values?”, “Our Purpose is X – how can you contribute to it?”, “What matters most to you in a job?”

Make an offer. Ensure your job offer includes benefits and offerings that meet those needs outlined by your candidate, which will motivate them to want to work for you long-term.

Hotel Con Corazón (“Hotel with a Heart”) is a social impact hotel brand that invests its Profits (approximately 75%) in education and work. With two locations in the developing regions of Oaxaca, Mexico, and Granada, Nicaragua, guests who stay at Hotel Con Corazón support local communities to build a better future. Since 2008, the Profits of the hotels have enabled Hotel Con Corazón to support an average of 250 students per year through its education programmes.

Learn more about Hotel Con Corazón HERE.

From plastic straws to food buffets, the amount of waste and food waste hotels produce is significant! Therefore, in this first Insights edition and in our free guide, The Sustainability Hotel Insights: Waste, we show you how to reduce waste and food waste in your boutique hotel.

Waste is a key element of environmental sustainability (Planet), one of the 4 Ps of sustainability, which is why it’s critical to address this important topic.

Did you know that in hospitality, food and beverage waste account for a huge amount of waste? According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (2013), up to 30%! If food waste were a country, it would come in third after the United States and China in terms of global warming.¹

That’s quite significant!

In our FREE PDF guide we share a total of 6 ways to reduce your boutique hotel’s (food) waste.

The first action step is to ditch single-serve plastic.

You’ve certainly heard this one before, and maybe you’ve already taken some steps in this direction by eliminating plastic straws. But it’s time to focus on reusable and refillable items (such as shampoo dispensers and water bottles), and ridding your hotel of plastic-wrapped anything.

Want to learn more?
Here are a few reasons why you should download our FREE guide:

• Get 6 clear action steps to reduce your (food) waste NOW
• Gain an understanding about the topic and its implications
• Start your zero waste journey with this actionable and free PDF
• Get access to best practice examples, must-reads and further resources that can support you in moving #onwards