Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesHospitality

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…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Hospitality teams put it to work with Executive Thought Leadership.

Promoted content from Experts Talk on MarketScale.

·
Share

Free workspace

Turn your Hospitality expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

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.

Experts Talk

Part of this channel

Experts Talk

Industry experts debate the ideas that drive B2B decisions.

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Hospitality starts with a company putting its general managers, operations leads, and brand teams on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Owners and operators buy from people who understand the property, and your teams prove it in their own words.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.
B2B Weekly

The week in Hospitality, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Hospitality: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Hospitality buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Hospitality expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your general managers, operations leads, and brand teams into the articles, video, and social content Hospitality buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Hospitality Insights

Spire Hospitality puts hotel IT, forecasting and AI under one executive

Spire Hospitality puts hotel IT, forecasting and AI under one executive

Spire Hospitality launched a Strategic Asset Performance division on Sept. 30, led by newly promoted SVP Shozib Khan. He now oversees IT, financial planning, hotel systems, hotel resources and transitions, brand resources, AI strategy and owner partnership. The org chart is the news. For hotel owners, the test is whether earlier forecasts become earlier action at their properties.

  • 01Spire's stated problem is turning data into action, since it says hotel companies already have more data and technology than ever. That puts the measure of the new division in decisions made earlier, with dashboards a secondary concern.
  • 02The most concrete lever for owners is executive oversight for selected hotels that need extra attention. What triggers that oversight decides when senior help reaches a given property.

Oct 7, 2026

AI Hospitality Group aims for 500-basis-point margin gains in six months

AI Hospitality Group aims for 500-basis-point margin gains in six months

AI Hospitality Group, a Dallas startup led by former Remington Hospitality CEO Sloan Dean, launched with $7.5 million to manage hotels using AI agents instead of selling software. It targets at least 500 basis points of gross operating profit margin within six months of taking over a hotel. Owners would judge it on the P&L.

  • 01AIHG sells hotel AI as a management contract, taking over the P&L instead of selling software.
  • 02At least 500 basis points of gross operating profit margin within six months of takeover is the stated target, a concrete benchmark owners can hold any AI-led operator to.
  • 03The results so far come from three California design-partner hotels. The signal to watch is the first signed management agreements beyond those partners, and what those properties report at the six-month mark.

Oct 7, 2026

Nobu's San Juan hotel keeps it to 50 rooms and leads with the restaurant

Nobu's San Juan hotel keeps it to 50 rooms and leads with the restaurant

Nobu Hotel and Restaurant San Juan is a 50-room project slated to open in 2028. With a street-facing Nobu restaurant and bar plus a rooftop lounge and bar, the plan positions food and beverage to shape first impressions and public life.

  • 01At 50 rooms, Nobu’s San Juan property is small enough that its street-level restaurant and rooftop bar are likely to do most of the work of defining it.
  • 02Nobu has 20 hotels open and nearly 30 more projects in the pipeline, so its development book is already larger than its operating portfolio.
  • 03The details worth watching before the 2028 opening are how the street-level restaurant connects to the neighborhood, what the rooftop program looks like, and whether local sourcing and Puerto Rican design show up in specifics.

Oct 2, 2026

Explore More Hospitality Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Hospitality.

Browse Hospitality Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Hospitality and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512