Following the global pandemic, hotel operators have been scrambling to attract talent to meet pent-up travel demand. The biggest challenge to achieve that aim has been rebuilding confidence in the travel industry. Hospitality was considered unsafe just a few years ago, which makes Hilton’s recent best workplace win especially significant.
“Post-pandemic, the fact that a travel and tourism company reached the top of the World’s Best Workplace list is amazing for the industry as much as it is amazing for Hilton,” said Alan Watts, President, Asia Pacific at Hilton.
As the industry has reached full recovery, competition for talent continues to intensify, with 70% of new jobs in travel and tourism globally expected to be created in Asia Pacific over the next 10 years, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
In 2023, the hospitality industry saw significant growth in Asia in line with the region’s travel rebound. Hilton added over 130 new hotels to its Asia Pacific portfolio, another record year of openings. The company is now firmly on track to exceed 1,000 trading hotels in the region by 2025.
Hilton’s commitment to being a Great Workplace is a remarkable story of foresight and resilience before, during and after the pandemic. The company has been consistently ranked by Great Place to Work as the best hospitality company to work for in Asia Pacific for seven consecutive years.
“As we strive to restore confidence in hospitality careers, our Great Place to Work wins position us as an employer of choice across Asia Pacific markets for top talent within and beyond the hospitality industry,” said Patsy Ng, Vice President, Human Resources – Asia Pacific, at Hilton.
Hilton’s industry-leading talent proposition is what underpins its growth strategy, creating what the company calls a virtuous cycle of talent acquisition and retention. In practice, this revolves around a few key pillars, according to Ng.
“Our Team Member proposition promises a fully human experience delivered through our century-old culture of inclusion, wellness, growth, and purpose. That’s what sets us apart from our talent competitors,” she added.
At Hilton, diversity is celebrated through different Team Member Resource Groups that build community and allyship, while personalised recognition gets elevated with programs such as its renowned CEO Light & Warmth Award. To support its growth momentum and reflect the priorities of today’s jobseekers, the company also welcomes diverse workforce segments, including differently abled, mature, flexible and gig workers.
“We are evolving towards a more flexible workforce and manning structure in hotels, and we’re the first hospitality company to introduce a gig pilot in Greater China and a partnership in Japan to reach a growing gig workforce,” said Ng.
Talent attraction has changed too. In a bid to widen its reach to young applicants in Australia, Hilton launched #hiremehilton, a TikTok recruitment campaign that invites candidates to apply through a short video.
Mental wellbeing is also central to Hilton’s approach to create a fully human experience. The company has created an industry-leading Care for All caregiving initiative, a robust platform of tools and resources to support any mental wellness and caregiving needs that its Team Members may encounter. This builds on other learning resources that provide access to educational and leadership development programs and offer tailored lifelong learning opportunities.
Underpinning the employee value proposition at Hilton is its global ESG strategy, Travel with Purpose, which empowers its Team Members to positively impact lives and livelihoods in destinations where the company operates. During Hilton’s annual Travel with Purpose Week last year, Hilton’s Asia Pacific team contributed 22,000 volunteer hours to 350 projects, impacting 26,500 people.
Putting culture first has a significant impact on Hilton’s performance. The organisation stands as the fastest growing hotel company in Asia Pacific, with one in four hotel rooms under construction bearing a Hilton flag.
“Our growth is an engine of opportunity. We expect to create 3,700 leadership positions by 2025 and 20,000 total positions this year to add to our existing 61,000 Team Members in Asia Pacific,” said Clarence Tan, Senior Vice President, Development – Asia Pacific, at Hilton.
“At the core of our ability to deliver best-in-class owner returns is our commitment to provide our hotels with the best talent in the business.”
“Passionate team members help us to deliver on our brand promises,” added Alexandra Jaritz, Senior Vice President, Brand Management – Asia Pacific at Hilton.
“Hilton’s focus on culture has also seen the company achieve record high customer satisfaction scores.”
With further growth in its portfolio ahead, as well as new market entries for its Hampton, Tapestry and Curio brands into new markets in South East Asia, Hilton also plans to debut properties in Laos and Timor Leste in 2024.