What about the workers? Roles and skills for employees in hotels of the future

Abstract

Hotels are diverse and constantly evolving, changing over time, inter alia, in their shape and appearance, their size, purpose, location and, perhaps above all, their representation of luxury and comfort. These changes have been and, intuitively, will continue to be driven by a complex amalgam of drivers. Representations that depict hotels of the future accommodate the consequences of change in varying ways – design, service, interaction with systems and technology among other considerations. This article is concerned less with the consumer and the physical properties of the establishment but rather seeks to focus consideration primarily on the possible changing roles of service workers within various conceptions of what hotels in the future may look like through to 2030 and beyond. The article applies a qualitative approach involving a literature review and subsequent Delphi method to develop and examine in depth three key drivers affecting the roles and skills of employees in hotels of the future. The attendant alternative workforce implications of each are discussed in turn.