Why a People-First Approach is Key to a Successful Workplace Culture at Hilton

Laura Fuentes, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Hilton, shared this article as a companion to her podcast Thrive at Hilton: Relentlessly Improving the Workplace. This article is about Hilton’s new campaign and dedication to workplace culture, which is essential to recognize. Hilton shares more of its story and how it built on its legacy of clear purpose with aligned action to create a campaign that demonstrates what Hilton has always known: team members are more than their titles, and behind every job, an extraordinary person is working hard to make each stay magical. For actionable steps you can take to emulate the work Hilton is doing, please subscribe to our Insights.

When Conrad Hilton founded our company more than 100 years ago, he had a bold vision: that travel could help spread the light and warmth of hospitality around the globe, and that it could ultimately play a role in bringing about world peace. When we travel and connect with other people, no matter how different our backgrounds may be, we see more of our shared humanity and experience empathy for one another. Hotels serve as natural gathering places to enable those connections to occur.

He also recognized that this bold vision could only come to life through the dedication and passion of the people who deliver this hospitality: Hilton’s team members.

Hilton’s workplace culture continues to build on that noble vision today. As the leader of our HR organization, I am inspired each and every day by our team members’ dedication to serving our guests, and I strive to never lose sight of the vital role our team members play in delivering that hospitality. I’ve come to believe stewarding that is a sacred responsibility.

Our award-winning workplace culture is built upon the idea of creating a fully human experience at work, which we deliver on by focusing on four key pillars: inclusion, wellness, growth and purpose. Now more than ever, employees are looking for more than a “typical” work experience. They are seeking a whole human experience at work, one that offers not only flexibility and inclusivity, but also a place for inspiration, growth, belonging, and fun at the same time, all of which can be found in Hilton’s legendary hospitality.

Following the challenges of the pandemic, our industry has rebuilt and come back stronger than ever, and we want to remind prospective team members of the many jobs and opportunities that a career in hospitality offers. That’s why we are taking our people-first approach even further with the introduction of a new employer brand campaign called “Every Job Makes the Stay,” which aims to disrupt thinking around what it means to work in hospitality by showcasing joy, purpose, and career growth, as seen through the voices of our own team members.

Built as an extension of Hilton’s first-ever global brand platform “Hilton. For The Stay,” which launched in 2022, the campaign targets labor challenges and recruiting needs by calling attention to the vast career growth possibilities that exist within Hilton. The campaign aims to ensure Hilton is top of mind for job seekers, especially those considering front line and hourly positions by emphasizing why a job at Hilton is unlike any other. It also highlights a sense of pride in Team Members, and showcases the many career paths they can take.

“Every Job Makes the Stay” demonstrates how Hilton is a people-first and purpose-driven organization, with an award-winning culture where you can bring your whole self to work every day. We offer benefits that empower you to defy expectations and seek excellence, and the flexibility to pursue your passions and grow your career with support every step of the way.

We’ve chosen to make our people the stars of this campaign by having it feature real team members talking about their jobs — because who better to speak authentically about working at Hilton than people who work here?

The campaign demonstrates what we at Hilton have always known: team members are more than their titles, and behind every job there’s an extraordinary person working hard to make each stay magical. You don’t just have a job or a title…you play a role and you fulfill a mission. You are an Ultimate Stay Creator, a Chief Welcome Officer or a Magic Maker.

The new campaign aims to shed light on what it means to work in hospitality and emphasizes why a job at Hilton is unlike any other in the industry. It also highlights why Hilton is a great place to do purpose-driven work, explore a variety of career paths and have some fun along the way.

With this new campaign — which will first launch in the U.S. and then go live around the globe in June — Hilton is, once again, reinventing retention and recruitment strategies to reach top talent across the U.S. and beyond.

Team members are the heart of our business. That means they’re also the best ambassadors to help us find talent. As a business of people serving people, we built this culture with our people at the core.

“Every Job Makes the Stay” is another step in our journey to making Hilton a great place to work for all, and to delivering on our belief that Hilton is a place to come for a job, but stay for a career. We will continue to build an environment where our more than 430,000 team members around the world can reach their full potential no matter their position. We look forward to continuing to listen to our team members and continuing to grow alongside one another, so we can co-design the future of work together.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Laura Fuentes is the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Hilton with over two decades of experience in engineering, strategy consulting and human resources. Having worked in hospitality, financial services, and management consulting, Laura’s career reflects her global, cross-industry perspective in key business and talent areas. Throughout her tenure at Hilton, Laura has led efforts to build an award-winning culture at Hilton, being recognized by Fortune as the #1 Best Place to Work in the U.S. and by DiversityInc as the #1 Company on their 2021 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. Originally from Spain, she holds a B.S. from the University of Virginia, a M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She lives in Arlington with her husband and two sons.

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