Christiaan Serné
The hospitality sector is growing. Hotels are opening, ambitions are expanding, and the demand for new talent continues to rise. At the same time, attracting young professionals is no longer as straightforward as it was a few years ago. Approaches that worked well for years now require fresh thinking. According to Hilton Hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium, this calls for a critical review of existing recruitment strategies. That is why the global hospitality group turned to the students of Hotel Management School Leeuwarden. After all, who better to involve in a challenge than the target audience itself?
A strategic necessity
As one of the world’s largest international hotel companies, Hilton opens an average of two to three new hotels every day across the globe. This growth also creates a constant demand for new talent within Hilton hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium. “That means we need new General Managers, HR Managers and Food & Beverage leaders every single day,” explains Christiaan Serné, Cluster Learning & Development Manager. “Many of our General Managers started their careers as interns. Some of them stay with Hilton for 30 years. Investing in students is therefore not just an extra initiative for us – it is a strategic necessity.” That investment is already paying off. Many young professionals and Generation Z colleagues are working across Hilton’s hotels in a wide variety of roles.
Declining attendance figures
The urgency of investing in future talent became clear when Hilton’s annual Hilton Connect Event – designed to recruit hospitality management students for internships – began attracting fewer students than in previous years. For Hilton, the answer was not to communicate more, but to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. “We realised that we had been organising the event in the Netherlands in exactly the same way for thirteen years,” says Christiaan. “At some point, that naturally becomes routine. We wanted to know whether our approach still matched what the new generation is looking for.”
New generation
Rather than continuing to brainstorm internally, Hilton chose a different route. “We could have asked experienced HR managers to come up with solutions,” says Christiaan. “But when the challenge concerns a new generation, it is equally valuable to involve that generation directly. Ultimately, it is about them.” This led to the idea of a Design Challenge for students at Hotel Management School Leeuwarden.
“I studied Hospitality Management myself,” Christiaan explains. “I still remember how valuable, exciting and rewarding it was to work on real-life business challenges.”
Visibility
Two student teams set out to tackle the challenge. “The students investigated how well known the event actually was among students in the Netherlands,” says Christiaan. “We assumed we had strong visibility. In reality, many students were barely aware of the event. That was quite confronting.”
Interestingly, the issue was not the event itself. “The feedback was essentially that the event was good. The problem was the lead-up to it. Our communication no longer reflected the channels and habits of the new generation. For example, we mainly promoted the event through LinkedIn, which seemed logical in a professional context. However, young people are much more active on platforms such as TikTok.”
A different perspective
It was precisely this difference in perspective that made the collaboration so valuable. “Students think more openly and are less constrained by limitations,” says Christiaan. “As a large organisation, we operate within international guidelines and established processes. That is perfectly understandable, but it can also mean that you are more likely to stay within familiar boundaries.” This became evident throughout the challenge. “Some ideas were not feasible or did not fit within our corporate guidelines,” Christiaan explains. “The students had to adapt their thinking. But that reflects the reality of working within a large organisation. It is not something you learn from a textbook – it is something you have to experience.”
A worthwhile investment
The time investment required from Hilton Hotels in the Netherlands remained manageable. “We scheduled one hour every other week. In addition, the students spent an afternoon at one of our hotels so they could get a real feel for the event venue. Of course, it requires some time, but in return you gain fresh, evidence-based insights that you can genuinely use. You also start building relationships with students before they even begin an internship,” says Christiaan.
“For us, the challenge represents much more than marketing advice. It allows us to connect with our target audience and demonstrate that we are open to new ideas. In this way, talent development begins long before a potential internship.”
The future of hospitality
“There are many negative assumptions about the younger generation,” says Christiaan. “But I mainly see what we can learn from them. They work incredibly efficiently with digital tools and bring fresh perspectives to the table.”
“I also believe we have a social responsibility to help educate and develop the next generation, especially as the world’s second-largest hotel company.”
“The future of hospitality is bright,” Christiaan concludes. “But only if we shape that future together. If we want young professionals to choose our industry, we need to work with them, not simply for them.”
Interested in collaborating?
Do you have a business challenge for our students, are you looking for interns, or would you like to upskill your employees through our Work & Study programmes? Get in touch to explore the possibilities at Hotel Management School Leeuwarden.