Recruitment goes into overdrive as InterContinental Hotels battles for talent

Abstract

PurposeThis article aims to examine how InterContinental Hotels plans to cope with the skill shortage in the hospitality industry, given the company's plans to open more than one new hotel a day for the next three to five years.Design/methodology/approachConcentrates on the picture in China, where InterContinental Hotels plans 107 new hotels.FindingsHighlights the activities of the InterContinental Hotels Academy, in which the company teams up with academic institutions to offer tailored education and on‐the‐job training for recruits to the hospitality industry. Also describes the company's recruitment and training in the Americas and the UK, where its initiatives to recruit more disabled employees have been rewarded.Practical implicationsReveals that only half of recent graduates from hotel‐related courses in China have moved on to work in hotels and there is a high turnover among new graduates. Employees from other industries rarely seek to work in the hotel business. There is a skill and training gap in China among front‐line hotel workers such as front‐desk and restaurant staff, as well as key executive positions in HR, finance and sales. The talent pool of executives with experience of working in multinational companies is small and highly sought after.Originality/valueContends that a sustainable and qualified talent pool is a crucial factor for InterContinental Hotels and for the development of the entire hospitality industry in China.