The Elusive Search for Talent: Skill Gaps in the Canadian Luxury Hotel Sector

Frederic Dimanche and Katherine Lo
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Frederic Dimanche: Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Katherine Lo: Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada

Tourism and Hospitality, 2022, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: The luxury segment of the hospitality sector has been growing worldwide. Luxury hospitality is about providing a unique experience for guests, and this type of experience requires having employees who understand the luxury culture and are trained at the highest level. Luxury hotels compete for the best talents, but the current pool of candidates for customer-facing and managerial positions within these establishments is limited. The purpose of this study was to identify skill gaps in Canada’s luxury hotels. Primary data were collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews with twenty luxury hotel managers and analyzed with NVivo 12. Respondents agreed about the skills required for brands to succeed in the luxury market, but they lamented the lack of qualified talents and the difficulty of training and retaining qualified collaborators. The results of the study point to the need to address the luxury skill gap in the hospitality sector, particularly in Canada. Recommendations to address this problem are proposed.

Keywords: hospitality; hotel; luxury; labor gap; skill gap; talent management; service quality; training; luxury experiences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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