Aimbridge is a big hospitality company. It has more than 1,500 hotels in its portfolio, works with 80 brands and independent hotels across 20 countries and employs a global workforce of 55,000 people. It’s a lot of properties and it’s a lot of positions to fill. Leading it all is Ann Christenson, who is chief human resources officer at Aimbridge, having joined the company in 2017. She’s been in the HR field for more than 20 years and seen a thing or two. In this wide-ranging Q&A, Christenson discusses the impact and changes following COVID-19, how to support employees along their career journey and what jobseekers are looking for in a company today.
HOTELS: According to the AHLA, 80% of hotels are dealing with staffing shortages. How is Aimbridge, the largest third-party management company in the world, dealing with it?
Christenson: Labor and staffing continue to be top-of-mind as we think about the future of hospitality, our business and how we create the most positive employee experience. The early days of the pandemic impacted the employee experience as associates worked to deliver exceptional service despite staffing shortages and operational changes, but it also proved to be a chance to reexamine how we think about talent and culture in a new context. In closely analyzing trend data, we were able to anticipate the rebound in travel and took that as an opportunity to enhance our systems and platforms, launch development programs and address some of the biggest legacy challenges in our industry, like job flexibility.
One example is the Aimbridge Leadership Framework that we developed and rolled out during the pandemic. It’s a three-part program series that equips associates with the most critical skills to succeed, such as problem solving, relationship building and providing effective coaching and feedback. Every leader at Aimbridge, regardless of role or seniority level, commits to completing the first leadership framework course at a minimum. In 2022, 600 leaders completed at least one program module and we expect participation to more than double by the end of this year.
We’re also rethinking old ways of scheduling and staffing. Within our network of managed hotels, associates now hold the power to select shifts through an app, expanding availability for shifts across hotels and giving team members more choice in when and where they work.
HOTELS: How would you characterize today’s average front-line worker? What are they looking for in a position and how do
you convince someone that working at a hotel can be more than a job, but a career?
Christenson: Most of our associates work at the property level and because of our footprint and unique business model, there’s tremendous opportunity for associates to chart a career path from housekeeping or maintenance up to management, or to start as a GM at a select-service property and move to a GM role at a full-service property.
A strong desire to learn, grow and shape the future of hospitality is the first quality we look for in both recruiting and developing an associate. An associate’s ability to demonstrate crucial soft skills, like teamwork, communications and relationship building is also key. Those qualities combined with hands-on experience are what make for top talent.
Today’s worker wants to know there’s a path for them to advance, and that they’re working for a company that cares about them as individuals. The core tenants of The Aimbridge WAY are rooted in the values, behaviors and culture we uphold as an organization, and the actions each of us takes to help our people grow, belong and succeed.
HOTELS: As of May, national average leisure and hospitality wages were at an all-time high of more than $21 per hour. Since the pandemic, average hotel wages have increased faster than average wages throughout the general economy. How has this put a strain on operating margins and profitability?
Christenson: The importance of highly trained and experienced hospitality specialists cannot be overlooked, and we work with our owners to find the balance of employing the right individuals to staff and service their hotels while looking for opportunities to continue delivering against their financial goals. Because of our size and scale, we’re able to provide owners with creative labor solutions, like job complexing. For example, hiring an engineer in the Dallas market to support two hotels with the owners of each property sharing the cost rather than duplicating roles and paying two full-time associates.
HOTELS: To deal with the jump in wages, are hotels running leaner up and down the chain scale? Has the traditional number of FTEs it takes to run, for example, a select-service hotel, dwindled? Are hotels being run more efficiently?
Christenson: Finding ways to drive greater efficiency, both for labor and purchasing costs, is imperative. Each hotel team is empowered to make the best decisions for its property, including reviewing staffing needs so they’re able to deliver on financial and operational expectations. At the same time, our corporate team focuses on how we can improve operational efficiencies across the portfolio and provide value at scale so our frontline associates can put their energy toward providing outstanding guest service.
HOTELS: What are employees asking of their employer today that they might not have five to 10 years ago?
Christenson: The entire landscape of what candidates are looking for has completely transformed. Today’s jobseekers are looking for flexibility above all else. In addition to shift-sharing, flexible scheduling has also been very well-received and allows associates to balance both work and personal time. For those who want to have a consistent schedule so they can plan around work, that’s available, too.
Employees also want to be heard and taken care of. In direct response to employee feedback, we were one of the first to offer daily pay. Last year, more than $25 million was accessed in daily pay by Aimbridge associates across the organization.
HOTELS: After hiring, retention is vital. What is Aimbridge doing to ensure its front-line employees stick around?
Christenson: To be successful with retention in today’s market, we need to invest significant resources in highlighting the career opportunities and benefits of working in the industry. From elevated and increased training and development programs to benefits traditionally offered in gig jobs, we must continue applying design thinking to the employee experience.
HOTELS: What is the biggest change COVID did to the labor market and will it last?
Christenson: Bringing back talent that left the industry for other opportunities during the pandemic and identifying and recruiting new talent to join the industry was something we had to think differently about post-pandemic. From how to reach and retain talent that’s moved from urban to suburban settings to expanding on the types of skill sets and prior experiences that translate to a role in hospitality, it was a chance to reexamine our recruitment approach.
To help address recruitment challenges, we introduced new initiatives that improve talent acquisition and retention while also embedding more tech-enabled solutions to reduce the time between application and hire. One solution was placing market recruiters in critically understaffed regions, which has helped Aimbridge fill hourly hotel jobs 75% faster than the industry average. Competition for talent is fierce; we need to find ways to make it easier and appealing for people to join the industry.
HOTELS: What are the biggest challenges for a HR executive and how do you overcome them?
Christenson: There is no shortcut when it comes to building a strong company culture. The work starts at the top, with codifying expectations and accountability up and down the organization. As an HR executive, creating forums for our employees to share what’s working, what’s not, what do they want more of, what do they need from us as leaders and how do we keep improving is all critical feedback and it gives us direction and helps us prioritize the work with the greatest impact.