Recruitment and retention challenges for tourism and hospitality professionals: the case of a Swiss boutique hotel

Purpose This study aims to understand the opinions and perceptions of hospitality industry leaders regarding recruitment challenges in the context of a Swiss boutique hotel. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the hospitality industry's perspective on the challenges faced in recruitment and retention as an HR hospitality professional. Findings The results show that some of the challenges in recruitment come from scarcity of qualified workers and seasonality. Following recruitment, the results confirmed that the difficulty of retention stems from key challenges including motivation, working environment, employee investment and shortage of capable employees. This study brings new insights into perceived recruitment and retention challenges from a Swiss boutique hotel. Originality/value These insights are valuable for hospitality and tourism practitioners to reinforce policies to attract and retain people, working towards decreasing recruitment challenges such as extending probation periods to allow for better culture integration, providing comprehensive training and fostering a positive work culture.