WASHINGTON—To help fill thousands of open hotel jobs and communicate the benefits of a career in the hotel industry, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and its charitable giving arm, the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation) announced a new advertising campaign called “Hotels Are Hiring” across five major hotel markets.
The new advertisement will run until early August on digital platforms, radio, and in print in select markets.
With leisure travel resuming, the hotel industry needs to fill thousands of open positions to meet an uptick in consumer travel demand. To entice more workers to join the industry, hotels are offering employees more competitive pay, flexible scheduling, and additional benefits, including paid time off, health care benefits, retirement savings, and more. With open positions in housekeeping, management, food and beverage, guest services, and more, hotels also provide transferable skills that allow for career opportunities around the globe.
“On the heels of the worst economic crisis on record for our industry, hotels are now facing a rapidly emerging issue of staffing shortages, particularly in vacation destinations. Hotels are in the midst of a hiring spree as we welcome the return of leisure travelers, and this campaign will help raise national awareness about open positions and the benefits of a career in hospitality,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. “Hotels, especially those in urban markets, have a long road to regaining what we lost during the pandemic. Ensuring we can fill positions to meet a rise in guest demand is a critical step as we work toward a full recovery.”
“Hotels are committed to attracting, retaining, and educating individuals for lifelong careers in a growing and vibrant field. People are the heart of hospitality, and the AHLA Foundation is proud to build on its legacy of opening doors of opportunity for those looking to pursue hospitality careers,” said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. “With thousands of open hotel positions nationwide—from management to guest services—the AHLA Foundation offers programs to help prospective and existing hotel employees gain new skills and reach their dreams while creating lifelong, fulfilling careers.”
The hotel industry offers 200 different career paths with transferrable skills that allow workers to move across positions throughout the global hotel industry. Through the AHLA Foundation, the hotel and lodging industry supports employees at all stages of their careers by providing professional development workshops, apprenticeships, and academic scholarships. With 80 percent of entry-level workers eligible for a promotion in less than one year and 50 percent of hotel general managers starting in an entry-level position, the hotel industry creates plentiful opportunities for upward mobility.
To help associates advance in their careers, the AHLA Foundation awards nearly $100,000 in professional development scholarships each year and offers two registered apprenticeship programs, which combine on-the-job learning with related education to help associates advance and earn a fast-track to a raise and promotion. The AHLA Foundation also awards $1 million in academic scholarships each year and works with over 70 affiliated schools.
The HotelsareHiring.com portal will provide resources for job seekers to help them learn about a career in the industry and apply for open jobs. For more information and a full list of open positions visit hotelsarehiring.com, powered by Hcareers.
