Over 20 hotel leaders participated in our first industry roundtable back in October. Roundtables are a surefire way to gain firsthand knowledge about special topics from people who are in the trenches. In this case, the Five Stars team wanted to learn what is and isn’t currently working when it comes to recruiting and retention strategies to combat the hotel worker shortage. It’s always interesting because their issues might be the same, but they’re often experienced differently. For example, employees at downtown hotels can take advantage of public transportation while those at hotels in the suburbs don’t have the same access which can make getting to work (on time!) a challenge for some.
The meeting really moved into full gear when our team introduced their own set of potential solutions. As these solutions were introduced, roundtable participants voted for their favorites or shared ideas of their own. It was so good to see that the vast majority believed that improving compensation and defining career pathways are important to their organizations! Being able to see hospitality as a noble profession versus a temporary means to an end could go a long way in getting folks on the hospitality career path.
This conversation flowed into a discussion about marketing and branding because how are we going to find and attract the best job candidates? A wide assortment of suggestions was made based on wisdom gained from prior marketing successes and failures. Afterward, we knew we had an amazing foundation for building out the campaign. The industry doesn’t need people as much as it needs the right people. That’s when we knew we had the brand right: Five Stars. Because five-star ratings start with great people.
By the end of the session, a wave of relief had swept over the hoteliers who stated their appreciation of our team's dedication to listening and providing solutions to help them navigate (and overcome) the current workforce crisis.