Marriott International is leaning on training and internal promotion to navigate a labor shortage that is still pressuring Europe’s hospitality sector.
The U.S.-headquartered hotel chain has a European portfolio of over 800 properties and ranks 15th on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For – Europe list, up from No. 44 last year. It says the strategy is built around employee development, apprenticeships and clear pathways into management.
Francisca Martinez, chief human resources officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Marriott International, said the company offers 'lots of options career-wise' and that it has 'pretty much every discipline that you could find in any corporate organization.'
The broader backdrop is stark. 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 Hotrec, the association of hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés in Europe. But a trade group found that 10% of hospitality roles are unfilled on average across the EU member states.
Marriott’s answer has been to invest in programs aimed at developing future leaders. The company offers apprenticeships and vocational training across Europe for new hires, along with internal programs such as 'Voyage,' a 12- to 18-month rotational graduate program available globally.
It also launched its Youth Champion Program in 2025 to address talent shortfalls in Europe and support early-career hiring. The program has built relationships with schools, universities and NGOs, and now has 61 champions across 37 countries.
Marriott says nearly eight in 10 associates in Europe report that they are offered training or development, compared with just over half of employees at a typical European workplace. Martinez said the company believes it can 'hire someone with zero experience and teach them everything they need to know to succeed.'
The company has also formalized advancement from the front line with a program called 'Elevate,' a six-month initiative that gives targeted training and one-on-one coaching to employees who want to become managers. More than 2,600 staff have taken part, and Marriott says retention was 2.5 times higher among participants than non-participants, while they were also 5.5 times more likely to be promoted.
Marriott says its internal platform gives employees access to new jobs and allows managers to see skills, experience and career aspirations. Martinez said 'internal talent is always given a preference' unless the company needs a skill set it does not already have.
The numbers come first. Marriott is showing that when a company invests in human capital, it can improve retention, promotion and productivity without waiting for the labor market or government to solve the shortage. Capital rewards clear rules, but it also rewards firms that build their own pipeline when the market tightens.
