A panel of hotel chain executives last week bewailed the fact that fewer people see the hospitality industry as a career that they will love for a lifetime.
The conversation took place last week at the Hospitality and Design Expo in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. About 11,000 people attended.
Viceroy Hotel Group CEO Bill Walshe told the group, “Talent is something that does keep me awake at night,” adding “I think it is going to be increasingly hard for us to find people who want to work in our industry because they have a passion for hospitality.”
One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is “mediocrity of service,” said Walshe, who says he tries different methods to find the right people, including hiring a theater company to help identify people who have nature confidence and spontaneity.
Brad Wilson, president of Ace Hotels, talked about the fact that food and beverage has become the main engine for hotel revenues. Which means that cooks are now a rarer commodity. “The elevation of food is quite impressive, but it continues to be a real challenge,” he said.
The constantly evolving world of personal electronics and cars has put increasing pressure on the hospitality industry, says some experts, because consumers expect the same rate of change.
