This paper examines practical recruitment strategies for hotels, focusing on how to leverage employee preferences to attract qualified candidates. The author recommends shifting from traditional print advertising to online resources, particularly social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The paper highlights real-world examples including Marriott's gamified recruitment approach ("My Marriott Hotel"), provides a structured interview process framework, and proposes methods for measuring recruitment effectiveness through employee performance evaluation checklists.
Given the hotel's stated employee preferences, the recruitment strategy should prioritize online resources over traditional print advertisements in local "help wanted" sections. Many potential employees use Facebook, which claims to have 400 million users. According to Jason Ferrara with Hotel Executive, half of Facebook users log in every single day, making Facebook an ideal platform to begin recruiting efforts.
Ferrara explains that human resource professionals should follow a structured approach when recruiting online: a) set a clear goal; b) "master one medium" (whether a Facebook page, blog, or Twitter account); c) manage your online reputation and create a profile highlighting the "unique benefits" of working for your hotel; d) create a "user experience" where current and potential employees interact on your Facebook page; e) highlight specific job openings; f) use videos and photos that generate positive attention; and g) listen to "fans" of your page (Ferrara, 2010). This multi-faceted approach ensures that your recruitment efforts are deliberate, authentic, and engaging.
Real-world examples demonstrate the power of innovative social media recruitment. The Marriott Hotel company created a virtual environment called "My Marriott Hotel" to attract top talent. In this game, players manage a virtual hotel restaurant kitchen by purchasing equipment, buying ingredients, creating budgets, hiring and training employees, and serving guests—similar in concept to the popular game "Farmville." The game awards points for happy customers and deducts points for poor service.
The success of "My Marriott Hotel" is remarkable: millions of gamers play online 24/7, and the game has attracted players in 120 countries, each running their own virtual kitchens. Users access the game through Facebook or Twitter, making recruitment seamless across platforms. Most impressively, about one-third of gamers playing "My Marriott Hotel" click the "try it for real" button, which directs them to the careers section of the Marriott website. This approach combines entertainment with talent acquisition, reaching a vast pool of potential employees who may never see a traditional job posting.
Another effective recruitment strategy involves leveraging your best employees in the hiring process. Hotels like Doubletree use this approach: interview your highest performers to identify what makes them successful, including their competencies and positive attributes. Ask these top employees what characteristics they would look for if they were recruiting "a great person for this position"—someone who genuinely cares about customers and aligns with your hotel's values.
Once you have identified the key characteristics for a position, establish a structured and fair interview process. Create an interview guide and assemble an interview team for Hotel Paris consisting of three tiers: one interview conducted by a peer employee, one by the relevant department manager (kitchen or front desk), and one by the HR hiring professional. After all three interviews are complete, the team convenes to compare notes, discuss each applicant's strengths, and make a hiring decision based on consensus. This collaborative approach reduces bias and ensures that new hires align with both management expectations and peer values.
A Hotel Paris help-wanted advertisement for this process might look like:
Housekeeping Supervisor Position at Hotel Paris
This posting is direct, lists essential qualifications, and directs applicants to a centralized online portal where they can submit applications and begin the structured interview process.
"Performance checklists and consistent employee evaluation"
"Sample job posting and procedural framework"
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.