“Hotels facing labor shortages can improve operations by adopting innovative hotel staffing solutions, including data-driven scheduling, role flexibility, and shared workforce networks.”
The hospitality industry is facing a staffing crisis. Hotels worldwide are struggling to fill key roles while demand for travel is surging. Many former hospitality workers have left the industry for jobs with better pay, flexibility, or stability in sectors like retail, e-commerce, and logistics.
As a result, hotels must find new ways to maintain high service standards with fewer employees. Instead of relying on traditional hiring methods, hotels need innovative staffing solutions. By implementing data-driven scheduling, flexible job roles, and shared staffing networks, hotels can optimize operations while keeping employees engaged.
This article explores three proven strategies to solve hotel staffing shortages.
The Hotel Staffing Shortage: A Growing Challenge
How the Pandemic Reshaped Hotel Staffing
COVID-19 had a devastating impact on hospitality jobs. At its peak, 70% of hotel workers in the U.S. were either furloughed or laid off (AHLA, 2022). Many of those employees moved on to industries offering higher wages and better work-life balance.
Even as travel recovers, hotels have not regained their full workforce. Between February 2020 and August 2022, the industry lost nearly 400,000 jobs, leaving many hotels short-staffed (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
How Staffing Shortages Affect Hotel Operations
With more guests checking in and fewer employees to serve them, hotels are struggling to meet service expectations. A recent AHLA survey found that 87% of hotels report staff shortages, with housekeeping roles being the hardest to fill (AHLA Staffing Survey, 2023).
The consequences of these shortages include:
-
- Longer wait times at check-in and restaurants
-
- Overworked employees, leading to burnout and higher turnover
-
- Lower guest satisfaction scores, affecting brand reputation
Hotels need to rethink their approach to staffing. A new strategy, based on efficiency and employee engagement, is essential.
Three Innovations to Solve Hotel Staffing Shortages
1. Implementing Activity-Based Staffing Models
Most hotels schedule staff based on weekly occupancy averages, but this method fails to account for daily or hourly demand fluctuations. A business hotel might have peak check-ins on weekdays, while a resort could be busiest on weekends. Using a fixed staffing model leads to overstaffing during slow periods and understaffing during peak hours.
A more effective approach is activity-based staffing, which aligns workforce needs with real-time guest activity. Instead of relying on occupancy rates alone, hotels can use key operational metrics such as:
-
- The number of check-ins and check-outs per hour
-
- The number of occupied tables in restaurants
-
- The volume of room service requests
By applying these metrics, hotels can schedule employees more efficiently, ensuring the right number of workers are present when needed.
Case Study: Real Results from Activity-Based Staffing
A McKinsey & Company study found that one hotel reduced labor hours by 10% by shifting from weekly averages to activity-based staffing (McKinsey, 2023). A front-desk employee who had previously left the industry due to childcare needs returned when the hotel introduced flexible scheduling, allowing her to work only during peak check-out hours.
2. Redefining Job Roles for Efficiency
Traditional hotel staffing structures separate employees into distinct roles, such as front desk, housekeeping, and maintenance. This model creates inefficiencies when staff shortages arise. Instead, hotels can redesign roles to make their workforce more flexible.
Hotels are now experimenting with:
-
- Cross-training employees to cover multiple tasks
-
- Combining roles (e.g., housekeeping supervisors also handling front-desk responsibilities)
-
- Using a “player-coach” model, where supervisors assist with operational tasks
Cross-Training: A Win-Win Strategy
Cross-training improves staffing flexibility and boosts employee engagement. According to a Cornell Hospitality Report, hotels that invest in multi-role training see higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates (Cornell University, 2023). Employees value the opportunity to develop new skills, which helps them advance within the company.
At some hotels, night-shift staff now handle low-touch housekeeping tasks while managing front-desk operations. This approach reduces the need for overnight workers, lowering labor costs while keeping guest service levels high.
3. Sharing Staff Across Multiple Properties
For hotel groups with multiple locations in the same city or region, sharing staff across properties can provide a practical solution. Instead of staffing each hotel separately, certain roles can be pooled and rotated between sites.
This strategy is particularly effective for:
-
- Specialized roles, such as maintenance, security, or event planning
-
- Concierge and front-desk staff, who can work at different locations as needed
-
- Hotel managers, who can oversee multiple teams across properties
How Shared Staffing Improves Efficiency
A Deloitte study on hospitality workforce trends found that networked staffing reduces labor costs and optimizes workforce utilization, making operations more sustainable (Deloitte, 2023).
For example, a business hotel with peak check-outs in the morning can share front-desk staff with a nearby resort, where check-out demand is higher in the afternoon. This setup maximizes efficiency without sacrificing guest service.
Maximizing Impact: Combining Staffing Innovations
Each of these strategies can help alleviate staffing shortages, but hotels that combine them see the biggest improvements.
A McKinsey case study found that integrating activity-based staffing, role redesign, and shared networks reduced weekly labor hours by 18%, while boosting employee satisfaction (McKinsey, 2023).
Hotels that adopt these staffing innovations report:
-
- Lower turnover rates
-
- Higher employee engagement
-
- Consistent guest satisfaction, even with fewer staff
Key Takeaways for Hotel Owners
Before implementing staffing changes, hotel owners should consider:
-
- Employee engagement – Will staff embrace the new model?
-
- Guest experience – Will service quality remain high?
-
- Operational structure – Can the hotel support flexible staffing?
Hotels that test and refine these strategies will be the most successful in navigating the future of hospitality staffing.
Conclusion
The hospitality industry may be facing a labor shortage, but that doesn’t mean hotels have to compromise on service. By using data-driven staffing, role flexibility, and shared workforce networks, hotels can operate efficiently while improving employee satisfaction.
The key isn’t just hiring more people—it’s about rethinking how staffing works. Hotels that innovate now will be better positioned for long-term success in an industry that continues to evolve.
