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ovid-19 has pushed multiple viable hospitality businesses to the brink of collapse. While many hotels have remained open for a large proportion of the pandemic, they have been running at considerably lower occupancy rates. As a result, staffing levels have been cut and employees have either been placed on furlough or lost their jobs entirely.

Some are even predicting that a difficult winter could see things get worse before they get better for the hotel jobs market in the UK. However, coronavirus vaccines on the horizon bring hope. Businesses and workers can start to get an idea of what awaits them in the first quarter of 2021.

The hospitality industry will be a key driver of the UK’s economic recovery. Before the pandemic struck, it was the UK’s fourth biggest employer and contributed approximately £133.5bn to the national economy in 2019.

“We're obviously going through a very tough time currently, but we are optimistic that things will bounce back," says Adrian Ellis, general manager of The Lowry Hotel and chairman of Manchester Hoteliers Association.

“Whether it gets back immediately to what we're doing pre-Covid, I think it will take a little bit longer, perhaps 18 months to two years before things start looking really to the levels we expect,” says Ellis.

With so much talent having left the industry during the coronavirus, hotels will have to undertake a mass recruitment drive when the recovery does gather pace. And they are unlikely to be short on applicants as the pandemic has caused unemployment levels to soar throughout the UK.

“I've heard stories, such as a job went out for about £25,000 from one of my clients and within the space of three days, they had something like 3,000 applications for that,” says Ben McColl, who leads hotel recruitment for the UK northern region and Midlands at Berkeley Scott, specialists in hospitality recruitment.

Guests at Locke’s design-led aparthotels have access to full kitchen facilities in their apartment.

Career development in the hotel industry

Provided the economic recovery happens in line with predictions and hotels are inundated with applications, it is well worth them taking the time to find the right applicants instead of hiring the first person who sends in their CV and can start immediately. In order to attract the right person for the role, hotels should think about what sort of employment package they can offer to give an edge over rivals.

“Employers need to understand that they've kind of got to sell themselves as well. The marketplace might be awash with candidates that they're looking to attract, but there are just more of them. And they need to give the same amount of care and attention to each and every single one of them as they would have gone outside of Covid-19,” explains Ben McColl.

“It's not just about candidates selling themselves to the employer; it's got to be a two-way street. Because ultimately, in six months time, that person's either going to want to work for you or they're not.”

What sets the hotel sector apart from other industries is that it allows high-performing workers to rise rapidly through the ranks.

“Career paths can be quite quick these days. You can quickly join, for example, a management training programme, and then be rising through the ranks and be a general manager still in your 20s. So, I think we're unique in that respect,” says Adrian Ellis.

“It is a genuine career choice; you can do very well at this. You can progress your career in hospitality quite quickly, and the salaries and recognition that you can get at the top are far and above what you'd expect in most other industries,” adds McColl.

McColl suggests that is worth a hotel offering applicants a higher salary than the market rate, along with scope for genuine career development and progression.

While this may cost slightly more, hotels are more likely to reap long-term benefits such as recruiting less often, have greater stability in operations, and retain personnel with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Training and progression

In order to appeal to career-minded applicants, hotels should make it clear that there are opportunities for further training.

Experts say that potential recruits shouldn’t view a job in a hotel as a stopgap to make ends meet; it can open up multiple opportunities to gain transferrable skills and even travel the world.

“Companies, including ourselves, have many extensive training programmes that are applicable for graduates, for example, coming out of university that want to progress. And we do that training through all the departments, so they have a good grounding before they move into an operational role,” says Ellis.

However, during the coronavirus, training and CV building has largely stalled for thousands of hospitality workers.

One organisation that has provided a lifeline for these workers and businesses throughout the pandemic has been the Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub, which is part of The Growth Company in Manchester. The city has been a severely hit by coronavirus restrictions, with its economy heavily reliant on hospitality.

The Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub was only set up in the latter half of 2019 and is part-funded by the UK Government. Yet it has been far busier than originally planned, as no one could have predicted the events of 2020.

The scheme offers a range of free courses in hospitality, where people can gain industry-recognised qualifications. This means that they will be much better placed to find employment once the job market starts to return to something close to normal.

Career development opportunities are also provided. For example, long-serving members of hospitality staff who already know a lot about the business can gain extra skills through a diploma in team management. This addresses a common problem for many hospitality workers. While they may have several years’ industry experience working for the same company, some maylack the formal qualifications to back this up. As a result, workers could have difficulty applying for new jobs that they are otherwise perfectly qualified for.

“It doesn't interrupt working hours, they are taking on training completely remotely,” explains Margaret Bartnikiewicz, project manager at The Growth Company and Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub lead.

“They've got an assigned tutor who works on them. And the more free time they put into it, the quicker they finish their qualification. So,it's a great way to engage with employees when they are on furlough, as well as in the current circumstances. This has been quite popular during lockdown and the pandemic.”

She adds that her organisation has been providing support for workers who are keen to stay within the hospitality industry but unable to get a job at present, while also keeping in regular contact with employers. In addition, any hospitality workers seeking a career change can receive support and options to retrain for other industries.