Christina Reti, Founder and CEO of CDR Global, reflects on why hospitality keeps losing young talent to misconception rather than reality. She argues that hotels remain one of the rare industries where starting at the bottom can lead to global leadership, but only if the sector updates its message and its internal practices, with clearer growth routes, stronger coaching, and workplaces that feel modern, purposeful, and human.

Read the full article in The Hotel Yearbook Annual Edition 2026: Converging Forces – The Future is Hybrid by Design published by Hospitality Net, below are the 4 key challenges she believes will confront the hospitality sector over the next five years.

1. The Industry is transforming faster than its talent narrative.

Technology, sustainability, and shifting consumer expectations are all converging. Hotels are becoming experience platforms, wellness hubs, digital ecosystems, and amplifiers of local culture. None of this can happen without skilled, motivated talent. However, the story we’re telling young people still sounds like it was from 1998.

2. Leadership roles are changing – and widening

The next generation of leaders will need digital literacy, cultural intelligence, adaptability, creative thinking, and strategic judgement. These skills are often learned fastest in operational environments, not corporate boardrooms. Hospitality, without even trying, is a natural incubator for leadership. We need to claim that.

3. Workforce shortages are not going away

Many countries simply do not have a sufficient working-age population to meet the rising demand. That means talent competition will intensify. Industries that know how to attract, develop, and elevate young people will win. Those who rely on old reputations will lose.

Hospitality can’t assume it will remain the default employer for entry-level talent. It needs to earn that position.

4. Young workers are re-evaluating what matters

They care about:

• wellbeing
• personal development
• inclusive cultures
• flexibility (where it’s possible)
• technology-enabled work
• and feeling valued, not used

These are not unreasonable desires; they are futureproofing mechanisms. The industry’s ability to integrate them will determine who joins, who stays, and who grows.

Read the full edition of The Hotel Year Book 2026 online now.