Skift Take
Hotel chains are gung-ho about their robust pipelines, but have they thought about how to efficiently build the future of their staff as they build their future properties? Some have, and comedy sketches, a cappella performances and role-playing guest scenarios are the smart future of hotel hiring rather than stuffy, crowded job fairs.
Hotels spew the terms personalization and authenticity in every pitch they make regarding guest experience and that trend helped give birth to thinking of the hiring process as a stage instead of an office.
Applying online when large hotels receive tens of thousands of applications for as many open positions disadvantages potential employees from demonstrating their unique qualities and prevents hotels from ensuring they're hiring the right people for their brand. That's why some hotels no longer refer to hiring as the application process, instead calling it a casting call or audition.
Hyatt and AccorHotels have tested this hiring scheme and found it's helped identify employees closely aligned with their brands, with Tokyo's Andaz Hotel testing auditions for open positions and Amsterdam's INK Hotel (part of Accor) running similar experiments with casting calls. These auditions, which essentially ask potential employees to role
