Hotel operators are under growing pressure to improve labor productivity while managing rising costs and persistent staffing challenges. A recent industry report found that hours per occupied room declined in the first half of 2026, signaling productivity gains even as labor cost pressures continued. But efficiency gains alone may not be enough to sustain performance if hotels cannot consistently fill critical roles. Chris Richardson, president and general counsel at BDV Solutions, a Vanteo company, spoke with LODGING about why hoteliers should approach staffing as a long-term business strategy, how vacancies affect operating performance and revenue, and which workforce investments can help properties build stability and protect profitability.
What does a long-term workforce strategy look like for a hotel that is dealing with persistent vacancies, compared with simply recruiting each time a position opens?
Persistent vacancies usually are not isolated hiring problems. They signal a recurring workforce need that the business must address. Instead of starting from scratch every time a position opens, hotel owners should look at which roles are hardest to fill, how often vacancies occur, what those vacancies cost the business, and where they can build a more reliable talent pipeline.
That pipeline should consist of retention, local recruiting, employee development, and external talent sources, including employment-based visas. Cultural exchange programs can also help hotels operationally. The biggest difference is timing. Reactive hiring starts when the need becomes urgent. A long-term strategy instead anticipates the need and starts building the pipeline well in advance.
How do persistent staffing shortages ultimately affect a hotel owner’s bottom line, from higher labor costs to lost revenue and reduced operating efficiency?
The financial impact can hit from several directions at once. When positions stay open, managers and existing employees must often cover the gaps, which can increase overtime, raise labor costs, and reduce efficiency. Hotels may also spend more on temporary labor or repeated recruiting.
Lost revenue is an issue as well. If a property doesn’t have enough people to service all its rooms or maintain expected service levels, it may not be able to fully meet demand. For resort owners that operate restaurants or beach clubs with their hotels, that can translate into reduced hours of operation or a reduction in the amenities that are provided to guests.
Most importantly, in hospitality, staffing problems quickly become customer-experience problems. Overworking employees can lead to slower service, lower guest satisfaction, negative reviews, and fewer repeat customers. In short, staffing challenges can easily become both a cost problem and a revenue problem.
What can hotel owners gain financially by shifting from reactive hiring to a long-term workforce strategy?
The biggest gain is predictability. Rather than continually spending money on last-minute hiring, owners can make more deliberate investments in workforce stability that help protect their property’s financial performance. A more stable workforce can reduce overtime, temporary labor, repeated recruiting and turnover costs, while giving owners a clearer picture of future labor expenses and making budgeting and forecasting easier.
There’s also an opportunity-cost benefit. With adequate staffing, hotels are better positioned to keep rooms available, maintain service levels, and capture demand instead of limiting operations because they don’t have enough employees.
How can staffing stability help owners protect revenue by allowing hotels to maintain service levels, operate more rooms, and avoid turning away business because of labor constraints?
A hotel can only sell what it can service. If demand is there but the property doesn’t have enough housekeepers, front-desk staff, food and beverage employees, or other key team members, management may have to limit the rooms it books or reduce services.
Staffing stability makes it easier to operate consistently at the level the market demands. It helps hotels keep more rooms available, maintain service standards, and avoid turning away business because they do not have enough people. It also protects the guest experience, which has a direct connection to reviews, repeat stays, and long-term reputation.
Beyond filling open positions, which workforce investments—such as retention, employee development, local recruiting, or career pathways—can deliver the greatest long-term financial value for hotel owners?
The strongest approach is usually a combination of strategies. Retention matters because constantly replacing employees is expensive. Career development and advancement opportunities can help employees see a future with the organization, while local recruiting remains an important part of the talent pipeline.
But if local recruiting does not consistently meet demand, employers should also look at additional sources of talent. Visa programs can be part of that broader strategy.
The EB-3 Other Worker visa, for example, can work well for employers with year-round needs because it is a permanent employment pathway rather than a short-term staffing fix. It takes advance planning, which is exactly why it belongs in a long-term workforce strategy.
In other instances where hotels have distinct seasonal labor needs, the H-2B visa is an option that many hotels use to great effect. These international workers can fill housekeeping, culinary, or maintenance roles during the busiest months.
There are also J-1 visa programs that hotels and resorts use to enhance hospitality operations with candidates eager to contribute while gaining valuable American experience. These programs require hotels to provide participants with true cultural exchange opportunities. It’s important to note that J-1 is not a workforce visa and is strictly for cultural exchange.
What workforce metrics should hotel owners be watching to understand whether their staffing strategy is actually improving profitability and reducing costs?
Owners should look beyond basic headcounts to see if their staffing strategy is working. Turnover by position, retention, absenteeism, overtime, and temporary labor spend are all important because they show whether the workforce is becoming more stable and less expensive to manage. They should also watch operational measures such as rooms that cannot be opened because of staffing constraints and how often managers are being pulled into frontline roles.
Guest satisfaction and online reviews matter, too. If staffing improves, owners should ultimately see it reflected in lower workforce costs, more consistent operations, and a better guest experience.