Hotel Staff Hiring: 5 Tips to Hiring the Best

How to Hire the Best Hotel Staff (Even During an Industry Shortage)

Running a successful hotel property relies entirely on having the best employees to assist your valued guests day and night. Unlike other businesses, hotels require a diverse roster of staff with specialized expertise across multiple departments—from housekeeping and maintenance to the front desk and food and beverage.

However, finding those candidates has never been harder. With recent surveys showing that 82% of hotels are experiencing staffing shortages, hiring managers are feeling the pressure. So, how do you find the best hotel staff when the talent pool feels completely dry?

Here are five practical tips for sourcing, hiring, and retaining top-tier hospitality professionals.

1. Diversify Your Sourcing Methods

Posting a job opening solely on your internal website limits your reach to people who already know your brand. To attract quality hotel staff, you need to cast a wider net.

• Utilize multiple platforms: Post on general job boards like Indeed, but also tap into hospitality-specific networks, local community boards, and social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Highlight career growth: Don't just post a list of duties. Highlight potential growth opportunities, benefits, and workplace culture to attract career-minded professionals rather than applicants just looking for a temporary paycheck.

2. Screen for Attitude, Train for Skill

When applications are limited, it can be tempting to only interview candidates with perfectly matching resumes. However, customer service skills, empathy, and a strong work ethic rarely translate perfectly on paper.

• Broaden your interview pool: Invite as many candidates as possible for a brief phone or video screening.
• Focus on soft skills: You can easily train a positive, motivated person to use your property management system or follow housekeeping protocols, but you cannot train a bad attitude out of a highly experienced applicant.

3. Implement Rigorous Vetting

While you want to keep an open mind during the interview stage, narrowing down your final selection requires strict vetting to ensure you are protecting your guests and your property.

• Check references: Always contact past employers to verify reliability and work ethic.
• Conduct background checks: Ensure the safety of your guests by running standard background checks for anyone who will have access to guest rooms or sensitive information.

4. Invest Heavily in Onboarding and Training

With the hotel staffing shortage hovering at 82%, retention is just as critical as recruitment. After spending time and money finding the best candidates, you must invest in their success.

• Thorough onboarding: Give new hires the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to succeed in their roles from day one.
• Ongoing support: Regular check-ins and continued training foster loyalty and drastically reduce the costly cycle of high employee turnover.

5. Partner with a Specialized Hospitality Staffing Service

Does managing multiple job boards, screening dozens of applicants, and running background checks sound like a full-time job on its own? It is. If you are struggling to maintain your property's standards while juggling HR duties, it’s time to hire a hotel staffing service.

As hospitality staffing experts, an agency handles the heavy lifting of the hiring process while you focus on managing your hotel and guest experience. They have access to deep, vetted talent pools that standard job postings simply can't reach.

Ready to Hire the Best Hotel Staff?

Finding and retaining reliable hotel staff doesn't have to be a daily struggle. Hotel Cleaning Services (HCS) is here to solve your staffing shortages with fully vetted, highly trained professionals.

Whether you need day porters, meticulous housekeeping teams, or dedicated kitchen staff, our Hotel & Hospitality Staffing solutions provide the reliable talent you need to keep your property running flawlessly.

Don't let the staffing shortage impact your guest experience. [Contact us today for a staffing consultation!]