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To Balance Costs and Quality in Hospitality, Consider Embracing Gig-Based Staffing Solutions

In the current economic climate, hotel owners and operators constantly seek ways to balance rising costs and maintain high-quality guest experiences. One effective strategy is embracing gig-based staffing solutions. This approach mitigates the financial strain caused by traditional staffing methods and provides the flexibility required to adapt to fluctuating demands. Sarah Dandashy, a…

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In the current economic climate, hotel owners and operators constantly seek ways to balance rising costs and maintain high-quality guest experiences. One effective strategy is embracing gig-based staffing solutions. This approach mitigates the financial strain caused by traditional staffing methods and provides the flexibility required to adapt to fluctuating demands.

Sarah Dandashy, a renowned Travel & Hospitality Expert from Ask a Concierge, highlighted the practicality and benefits of gig-based staffing solutions in today’s market during a recent MarketScale Expert’s Talk conversation, pointing out this model can address the persistent issue of staffing shortages while also controlling labor costs—a critical factor for maintaining profitability without sacrificing service quality.

Key takeaways from Dandashy’s insights include:

  • Embracing Gig-Based Staffing Solutions: Many properties are exploring gig-based staffing as a way to reduce fixed labor costs and increase operational flexibility
  • Managing Rising Costs: Finding a balance in pricing that covers increased operational expenses without deterring guests is essential
  • Enhanced Training Programs: Implementing thorough training programs is crucial for staff efficiency and retention, especially in a gig-based model
  • Adaptability to Market Conditions: Tailoring service offerings and staffing to local market conditions and specific hotel needs is increasingly important
  • Strengthening Staff Retention: Fostering a sense of belonging and value among staff, particularly in a gig-based environment, is vital for long-term retention and service consistency

By integrating gig-based staffing solutions into their operational strategy, hoteliers can effectively manage costs while maintaining the quality standards that guests expect. This approach helps navigate the complexities of the current economic landscape and positions properties for sustained success in the competitive hospitality industry.

Article by James Kent

Video TranscriptExpand ↓

Yeah. If I may chime in, you know, kinda going back to the the question at hand. Obviously, these are are great great points, regarding technology. Just overall other challenges as that we're we're also seeing rising costs across the board, whether that is the cost of food, whether it's the cost of supplies, whether it's, the cost cost cost to pay employees, all of that. So, definitely rising cost and then trying to find that sweet spot where things are now costing more, but we don't wanna necessarily raise the room rate significantly more to be a deterrent to incoming guests. So that's still we're finding that sweet spot. Obviously, it really depends on the market and, and the hotel, but that is certainly on top of mind for everybody. And then staffing shortages, is this ever ongoing, challenge? We are seeing maybe a couple properties look into or lean into different ways of of hiring or or, staffing, whether it's more of a gig based hiring option or system. So I think we'll be seeing more of that in the future. Training, I know we talked about training specifically here for, technology and when you're you're implementing a new system, but it's also just training across the board. It's so often, properties haven't been able to have the bandwidth to take the team aside to properly train them. They're very much let you know, letting them run with it. So that's also a huge challenge when it comes to, staff retention because, you know, if a team member comes on board and they're not properly trained and just thrown to the wolves, so to speak. I mean, we'd like to think they're nicer than wolves, but you know what I mean. But just don't just figure it out on the fly. They don't necessarily feel like they're they're part of the team or the family. So, I mean, these are again, it's a little bit more high level, but some of the the big, talking points that, a lot of hotel owners, and operators are definitely having.

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