68,000 roles open in Hotel industry as festivals, ICC World Cup, and wedding season drive recruitment rush

Hotels have stepped up hiring this year to meet demand during the festive period, the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, and the upcoming wedding season. The hospitality sector faced a shortage of staff in the post-Covid phase after mass layoffs during the pandemic. Now, as travel demand increases and properties are added, hotels are expected to surpass pre-Covid occupancy levels.

About 68,000 work opportunities opened up in the white-collar hotel and travel segment over the past three months, according to job search platform foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME).

"The industry as a whole experienced an 18 percent growth compared to the same time last year. The travel and hotel industries are major drivers in e-recruitment along with the retail industry,” Sekhar Garisa, CEO of foundit, told Moneycontrol.

For hotels in Goa and Jaipur, demand goes up during the festive season, while for business hotels, staffing needs increase during events such as the Cricket World Cup, noted Sundeep Shenava, associate vice president corporate HR, at Royal Orchid Hotels.

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It is not just the festive season but also the cricket tournament that is in full swing that have opened up opportunities in the travel and hotel space, said Ankit Aggarwal, founder of Unstop, a hiring platform for students and freshers.

Fairmont's Jaipur property is allocating 10-15 percent of its hiring to cater to the demands during the festive and the wedding season.

Analysis by job site Naukri.com noted that hospitality and travel sector saw maximum growth in hiring in September, as families and solo travelers made the most of the monsoon season.

Hotels are hiring

Hotels are hiring

"We aim to onboard approximately 1,000 employees between the next two quarters (October-December and January-March), focusing on hiring across various levels, including entry-level and senior positions,” said Grimek Khizakhe, chief people officer of The Fern Hotels & Resorts in Mumbai.

He said the hiring is primarily driven by the opening of new properties in the next two quarters.

"Our hiring uptick is over 15 percent compared to last year. This increase in demand is partly because the Cricket World Cup coincides with the festive season, leading to a higher need for staff in cities hosting the matches," he said.

The hotel chain initiated the recruitment process in August to prepare for the festive period.

"Our hotel's restaurant business has experienced increased demand due to the World Cup, resulting in a higher need for kitchen and food & beverage staff," Khizakhe added.

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Kamat Hotels is adding properties and looking to onboard talent.

"We are planning to hire 600 to 750 employees in the next six to eight months. We are in the midst of an expansion and our primary focus is on recruiting individuals from the specific state or region where we operate,” said Vishal Kamat, executive director of Kamat Hotels India. “We prefer to hire based on the event's size, with the majority of our workforce being full-time employees."

Royal Orchid Hotels plans to hire 1,700-1,800 staff members in FY24, taking into account the number of hotels in the pipeline.

"About 10 percent of our hiring will be recruited in response to factors such as the wedding season, Diwali, Dussehra, and the cricket season," Shenava said.

Radisson Blu Udaipur is planning to hire around 30-40 new talents across all departments in the next 6-12 months, said Gaurav Rege, General Manager, Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resorts & Spa.

Fairmont Jaipur plans to recruit 50 new talent over the course of the next 6-12 months, up 9 percent versus last year, said Deepak Badola, Director of Talent & Culture, Fairmont Jaipur.

"We are planning to hire around 15-20 new talents and estimate hiring to be up by 20 percent as compared to last year, said Rohit Sethi, founder and director, Seclude Hotels Home Style.

He said that they are hiring for sales and operations positions.

Roles in demand

Roles in demand for work opportunities in hotels

Restaurant manager and guest services roles were in highest demand in the September this year in the hospitality sector, according to Naukri.com's analysis.

Shenava said the company is hiring stewards, front office assistants, chefs, sales representatives, and housekeepers.

"We have been collaborating with hospitality institutes and various skill development programmes to get talent," said Khizakhe.

Skill development centres are a key source of staffers for hotels, said KB Kachru, vice president of the Hotel Association of India.

"THSC (Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council) is a major source at entry level, then we have IHMs (institutes of hotel management). ISB (Indian School of Business) is another source to prepare talent for the hotel sector," Kachru said.

While the hotel business is recovering, the shortage of employees has remained a challenge in the post-Covid phase.

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“The hospitality industry was among the most adversely affected during Covid-19 and it was among the last to recover. The job losses during the lockdowns and pandemic-led restrictions were huge,” said Kachru. “According to the ministry of tourism, 14.5 million people lost their jobs during the first Covid-wave, 5.2 million during the second wave, and close to 1.8 million during the third wave."

Many hotels let go of staff during the pandemic and in many cases 40-70 percent of the workforce was laid off, said Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality.

"As staff returned to their hometowns, many moved out from the industry into other service sectors,” he added.

Gupta noted that with FY24 emerging as a high-demand year, hotels are racing around the clock to recruit, train, and deploy staff.

"There have been international events and the G20 summit taking place in India, which have come at an opportune time for hotels. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s 2023 Economic Impact Research, the sector is forecast to create over 1.6 million more jobs this year, recovering almost all of the jobs lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to reach almost 39 million, with around one in 13 workers in India in the travel and tourism sector,” said Kachru.

He added that hotel chains are moving to smaller cities and towns, which is opening up more opportunities for the people.