Hotels spending more on recruitment

HVS Executive Search has seen a growing demand through its London office as companies are placing more emphasis on recruiting quality staff at all rungs of the organisational ladder.

“Hoteliers are now employing us to draw up a shortlist of candidates for less senior roles than they would have done before in areas such as operations, sales and marketing, finance and development,” said Chris Mumford, managing director of the London office of HVS Executive Search.

“This growing demand is for a highly-focused style of recruitment that relies on our knowledge of the market and our ability to lure talented individuals that would be a good fit for the organisation. Difficult market conditions have prompted hotel companies to invest more in recruitment for a higher success rate.”

Newly-created gap​

Executive search specialists were traditionally used for senior board level positions, with other vacancies filled by internal recruiters or recruitment agencies. But hoteliers are now using companies like HVS Executive Search for mid-management vacancies too, in an effort to minimize risk of hiring the wrong person.

“HVS Executive Search is filling a newly-created gap in the European market for targeted searches that can operate within a very short time frame from executive level to junior management positions,” added Mumford.

“The increasing cost of recruiting, training and replacing staff means that improving retention levels and attracting quality personnel at all levels has become paramount.

“Hotel companies are now taking a long-term approach to mid-management recruitment, who are, after all, senior executives of the future.”