How Marriott’s leadership pipeline is helping it navigate Europe’s hospitality talent shortfall

Amid a workforce shortage in the hospitality industry, Marriott International is focusing on employee development to improve its talent acquisition and retention.

The U.S.-headquartered hotel chain, which has a European portfolio of over 800 properties, ranks 15 th on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For – Europe list—up from No.

44 on last year’s rankings.

“What people sometimes don’t realize is that we offer lots of options career-wise,” says Francisca Martinez, chief human resources officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Marriott International.

“We have pretty much every discipline that you could find in any corporate organization.” The hospitality and hotel sector is one of Europe’s largest employers, with more than 10 million people working across 2 million businesses, according to data from Hotrec, the association of hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés in Europe.

15 marriot international’s rank on Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For – Europe However, research from a trade group shows significant workforce gaps, with 10% of hospitality roles unfilled on average across the EU member states.

Marriott’s answer to this challenge has been to invest in talent programs to develop the next generation of hospitality leaders.

Candidates require a combination of interpersonal and commercial skills to succeed in the sector, according to Martinez.

Francisca Martinez, chief human resources officer for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Marriott International.

Marriott International “You have to connect with people, but you also need to be resilient, to have the emotional intelligence to deal with all kinds of situations,” she says.

“Having a strong commercial acumen is also key because you’re making decisions quickly and often under pressure.” Marriott offers a range of apprenticeships and vocational training programs across Europe for those who are new to the industry.

Internal programs, such as ‘Voyage,’ a 12- to 18-month rotational graduate program, are also available to employees globally.

Marriott launched its Youth Champion Program in 2025 to address the talent shortfalls in Europe and support early-career hiring in the region.

The program has helped Marriott develop relationships with schools, universities, and NGOs to promote careers in hospitality and it now has 61 champions across 37 countries.