Current Issues In Hospitality Industry

The increase in the need for accommodation has hugely increased the demands for hotels, which in turn has boosted the growth of the hospitality.

By examining a number of hospitality and hotel association websites from around the world, eight main areas of concern for the hospitality industry were highlighted and examined in more detail. These areas included employment issues, taxation levels and environmental issues.

• Labor & Skills Shortage
• Construction Costs
• Technology
• Changing Demographics & The Impact On Travel Trends
• Travel Permit Restrictions
• Emerging Markets
• Capital Availability

The problem of attracting and retaining qualified workers, once an issue only in an isolated number of markets, is increasingly becoming a global challenge. Demography, wage levels, failure to adequately address worker satisfaction and a reputation for long hours and low pay are all cited as contributing factors. Creative hospitality professionals have begun to expand innovative strategies for capturing and keeping high quality workers.

Demographics – Population growth rates have been slowing in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere for decades so the figure of workers leaving the workforce now exceeds those that are entering. The aging workforce moving into retirement is creating a huge

Lagging Wage Rates. Long criticized for paying salaries and wages lesser to those common in other industries, hospitality companies are increasingly finding it difficult to attract and retain qualified candidates willing to attract standard wages. 

Industry Reputation - Like it or not, the hospitality industry has not done enough to earn a reputation as a top career choice for college graduates. Notorious for long hours, night and weekend shifts our industry has Gen-X’ers and Gen-Y’ers seeking other careers with a perceived higher quality of life and better wages.

De-emphasis on Training and Worker Satisfaction –many hotel companies failed to fully restore training and worker enrichment programs that marked the 1980s and 90s. This comes at a time when lodging brands are increasingly adding amenities and services in order to differentiate themselves from competitors.