In the luxury hotel, resort, and service sectors, product quality is no longer the sole differentiator. Customer experience is now the decisive factor in a brand's competitiveness. A luxurious room can be replicated. A sophisticated menu can be learned. But the emotions customers receive from staff are the most irreplaceable value. Therefore, the question of "Hiring for attitude or hiring for skill?" is becoming a topic of greater interest to managers than ever before.

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In an increasingly competitive labour market, particularly within the luxury hospitality and service sectors, choosing the right recruitment strategy not only impacts operational efficiency but also determines a brand's long-term sustainability.

When skills are no longer the sole competitive advantage

For many years, most businesses prioritised recruitment based on professional competence. Criteria such as work experience, professional certifications, and specialised knowledge were often considered paramount. However, global recruitment trends are gradually changing. According to Deloitte's research on the "Skills-Based Organization" model, an increasing number of businesses are shifting from hiring based on qualifications and work history to evaluating actual capabilities, learning agility, and development potential. Up to 80% of business leaders believe that making hiring decisions based on skills rather than seniority or traditional resumes helps reduce bias and enhance fairness within the organisation. Simultaneously, 75% believe this approach expands access to talent more effectively. However, for luxury brands, professional skills are a necessary but not sufficient condition. A front desk agent might be proficient in check-in procedures. A server might know service standards by heart. But without a service-oriented mindset, empathy, and a positive attitude towards customers, the brand experience can still be severely impacted. This is why many international hotel groups are beginning to ask: What truly makes the best employees?

Attitude is the hardest factor to train

There's a famous saying in the service industry: "Hire for attitude, train for skill." The reason is that skills can be trained in a few weeks or months, but changing mindset, personality, and work attitude often requires a lot of time, and sometimes cannot be fully changed.

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According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2025 report, the most important skills for businesses in the future include not only professional competencies but also human-centric capabilities such as adaptability, flexible thinking, continuous learning, leadership, and social influence skills. Among these, adaptability, flexibility, and resilience are ranked among the fastest-growing skills in demand by 2030. This indicates that the labour market values qualities related to attitude and mindset more than ever. For the luxury hospitality sector, where every interaction can directly affect customer perception, a service-oriented attitude becomes a core factor differentiating an employee who merely completes tasks from a true brand ambassador.

Why are luxury brands increasingly prioritising attitude?

The essence of the luxury segment lies not in the product, but in the emotion. Customers might forget a hotel's interior design after a few months. But they will long remember how staff made them feel valued, understood, and cared for. According to data from LinkedIn Learning, communication continues to be the most sought-after skill by businesses. Simultaneously, 90% of global leaders believe that soft skills are becoming increasingly important in the modern workplace, and nearly 70% rate soft skills as more valuable than even AI-related skills for organisational effectiveness. These figures are particularly significant for the hospitality industry. This is because customers do not evaluate a luxury brand solely based on its facilities. They evaluate the brand through every conversation, every smile, every reaction when issues arise, and every moment of interaction with the staff. These elements stem more from attitude than technical skills.

However, attitude cannot entirely replace skills

While attitude is increasingly valued, underestimating professional skills is also a dangerous mistake. An employee with an excellent service mindset but who doesn't understand 5-star hotel operating standards can still make mistakes that negatively impact the customer experience. In a luxury service environment, professional skills are the foundation for ensuring consistent service quality. The issue is not about choosing attitude or skills. The issue is about determining which factor should be prioritised at each stage of recruitment.

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For frontline positions such as reception, concierge, customer service, or restaurant staff, attitude often plays a more crucial role as these positions create direct emotional connections with customers. For technical, financial, technology, or in-depth operational management positions, professional skills should be weighted more heavily.

New Trend: Hiring for Potential, Not Past Experience

A prominent global trend today is shifting from experience-based hiring to potential-based hiring. Deloitte's research shows that 64% of employees tend to choose and stay with companies that invest in developing their skills and personal potential. Progressive organisations are increasingly focusing on learning agility, adaptability, and a growth mindset rather than just looking at resumes. This is particularly relevant for the hospitality industry as technology, AI, and customer expectations are constantly changing. A candidate with a positive attitude, quick learning ability, and a proactive spirit often has more sustainable development potential than a candidate with extensive experience but lacking an innovative mindset.

Sustainable Formula for Luxury Brands

Leading global service brands are gradually shifting towards a blended recruitment model.

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They do not recruit solely for skills, nor solely for attitude. Instead, they prioritise individuals whose attitude aligns with the company culture, then invest heavily in professional training, service skills, and leadership capabilities. This approach enables businesses to build a team that can meet stringent operational standards while maintaining an excellent service ethos long-term. In the luxury hospitality sector, where brands are built through every customer experience, attitude is the foundation, and skills are the tools that translate those values into tangible actions.

Conclusion

The debate between hiring for attitude versus skills will likely continue for many years to come. However, market realities show that the most successful luxury brands do not view this as a choice between two extremes. They understand that skills help employees complete tasks, but attitude is the factor that creates a distinctive experience and builds customer loyalty. In a world where technology can increasingly replace technical skills, qualities such as a service mindset, empathy, adaptability, and a desire to learn will become the most difficult-to-replicate competitive advantages for any luxury brand.

NewSun Hospitality – Partnering to build a team that creates sustainable brand value

At NewSun Hospitality, we believe that a strong hotel brand is built not only on facilities or business strategy, but also on the quality of its human resources. Through operational consulting solutions, capability system development, standardisation of recruitment processes, training, and corporate culture development, NewSun Hospitality helps hotels, resorts, and service businesses build a workforce that is both competent and culturally aligned, thereby enhancing customer experience and creating a sustainable competitive advantage in the market. Contact NewSun Hospitality to explore human resource development solutions tailored for premium hotel and service businesses.

References:

  • Deloitte. (2022). The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce. Deloitte Insights.
  • World Economic Forum. (2025). The Future of Jobs Report 2025. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
  • Bone, M., Ehlinger, E., & Stephany, F. (2023). Skills or Degree? The Rise of Skill-Based Hiring for AI and Green Jobs. arXiv.
  • LinkedIn Learning. (2024). Most In-Demand Skills Report 2024.
  • World Economic Forum. (2025). Skills Outlook: Future of Jobs Report 2025.