Hospitality sector must promote itself as a career, not just a job

“If you want to recruit and retain the best talent, then offer the best benefits and ask yourself some hard questions," MTU lecturer Dr Donagh Davern advises hotel and restaurant owners

Hospitality vacancies: “Hotels are reducing capacity mid-week, cancelling lunch service and even closing completely for two midweek nights simply because they don’t have the employees to service the demand,” says Dr Donagh Davern of MTU. Picture: iStock

Hospitality service providers need to improve their 'employer brand' and rethink how they pitch their industry to potential new employees, says one industry expert.

Dr Donagh Davern is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at MTU, Cork, a former general manager of the five-star Killarney Park Hotel and a qualified accountant. He is a fellow of the Irish Hospitality Institute and he is involved in hotel inspections for an annual national award.