Age Discrimination Against Veteran Hoteliers: The Brand Experience Paradox

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People older than 50 make up less than a fifth of all hotel employees, revealing a stark underrepresentation of experienced workers in an industry that should value their expertise. Research from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management found that only 3.1% of hotels recruit people aged 65 years or over, despite the potential benefits these workers could bring to the industry.

Stereotypes and Misconceptions About Veteran Hoteliers

Hotel managers often harbor both conscious and unconscious biases against older workers. Hotel managers – unwittingly or not – often hold negative perceptions of older workers, creating barriers to employment for veteran hoteliers who possess decades of valuable experience.

The research identified several problematic stereotypes:

Physical and Health Assumptions: Managers incorrectly believe that older workers have more health problems, longer recovery times, and higher insurance and medical costs. However, the study notes that age-related differences in health insurance costs are negligible for hotels and may even be offset by the savings brought by the lower turnover rate of older workers.
Technology and Adaptability Myths: There’s a persistent belief that older workers have poorer “hard” skills, such as physical and mental competence and willingness to adapt to technological changes, despite many veteran hoteliers having successfully adapted to numerous technological advances throughout their careers.
Appearance-Based Discrimination: Perhaps most troubling is the bias against older workers in guest-facing roles. The research revealed that although older workers were perceived as having strong customer service skills, resulting from their rich experience, managers rarely regarded them as suitable for front desk positions, potentially due to their “less youthful physical appearance.”

The Value of Veteran Hoteliers

Ironically, the same research that exposed these biases also highlighted the significant advantages that veteran hoteliers bring to the industry:

Reliability and Commitment: Older workers were believed to have a lower turnover rate and better work attitudes, qualities that are especially valuable in an industry known for high staff turnover.
Soft Skills Excellence: Veteran hoteliers are recognized for their superior “soft” qualities, such as reliability, commitment to the organization, social and customer-oriented skills, accuracy, and emotional stability.
Cost Effectiveness: Hotels can realize savings made in training costs from employing older workers, as these professionals often require less initial training due to their extensive experience.

The Brand Experience Paradox: Why Older Hoteliers Are Undervalued

The observation about older hoteliers facing discrimination despite their extensive experience highlights a critical paradox in the hospitality industry. Hotels often prioritize recent experience with specific hotel brands over deep industry knowledge and proven leadership abilities, creating artificial barriers for seasoned professionals who understand the timeless fundamentals of hospitality.

The reality is that while different hotel flags may use different property management systems (PMS), the core mission of hospitality remains unchanged across all brands. A hotel PMS is software that consolidates operations such as reservations, online booking, payments, and reporting, but these are merely operational tools that support the fundamental purpose of hospitality.

Hotel Business Fundamentals Never Change

Despite technological advances and brand-specific procedures, the essential principles of hospitality remain constant:

Core Guest Service Principles: Staff members should make an effort to learn guests’ names and preferences and use that information to provide a more personalized experience. Professionalism and friendliness: Staff members should be professional and courteous, while also being friendly and approachable. These principles transcend any brand affiliation.
Timeless Hospitality Values: Originally hospitality was based on generosity, a warm reception, special care for a guest, good intentions and the willingness to help others. These foundational values remain consistent whether working at a Marriott, Hilton, or independent property. Human-Centric Focus: Recent industry analysis confirms that the fundamental principles of the industry: delivering human-centric experiences that foster connection, comfort, and discovery remain at the heart of hospitality, regardless of brand flags or technological systems.

The PMS System Reality: Surface-Level Differences

While it’s true that different hotel brands use various property management systems, these technological differences are superficial compared to the deep hospitality expertise that older hoteliers possess:

System Standardization: Hotels primarily use PMS systems to manage operations, while Guest Experience Platforms, also known as Guest Experience Software, enhance the guest journey. The core functions remain consistent across platforms.
Universal PMS Functions: The most important functions are front-desk operations, reservations, channel management, housekeeping, rate and occupancy management, and payment processing. These fundamental operations are the same regardless of whether you’re using Oracle, Marriott’s systems, or Hilton’s platforms.
Adaptability Over Brand Specificity: The PMS should be user-friendly for staff with varying levels of technical expertise, suggesting that experienced hoteliers can quickly adapt to different systems once they understand the underlying hospitality principles.

Taking Care of Guests and Associates: The Unchanging Mission

The research consistently shows that successful hospitality depends on principles that older hoteliers have mastered throughout their careers:

Service Excellence: A warm, friendly welcome assures guests that they can relax and enjoy their experience. This fundamental principle applies whether you’re working at a luxury Ritz-Carlton or a boutique independent hotel.
Team Leadership: This commitment is the foundation we are built on, and it determines how we make decisions. This is achieved through a firm foundation of investing in People First, including supporting great employees. Older hoteliers often excel at this people-first approach that benefits both guests and associates.
Authentic Experience Delivery: Provide Authentic Experiences – In hospitality, it is not cliche to “Say what you mean, do what you say, and mean what you do.” This authenticity comes from experience and maturity that older hoteliers possess.

The Shortsighted Focus on Brand-Specific Experience

The industry’s obsession with brand-specific experience often overlooks the transferable skills that older hoteliers bring:

Guest Recovery and Problem-Solving: Years of experience have taught older hoteliers how to handle difficult situations with grace and professionalism.
Team Development: They understand how to mentor and develop staff, creating stronger teams that deliver better guest experiences.
Revenue Management Principles: The fundamentals of maximizing revenue while maintaining service quality remain consistent across brands.
Crisis Management: Older hoteliers have weathered multiple industry downturns and crises, providing valuable leadership during challenging times.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission protects workers over 40 years old from age discrimination, making many of the hiring practices that exclude veteran hoteliers potentially illegal. However, subtle forms of discrimination persist, often masked as preferences for “cultural fit” or “brand-specific experience.”

The Business Case for Change

The hospitality industry faces significant labor shortages, making the exclusion of qualified veteran hoteliers economically counterproductive. Promoting the employment of older workers is an important way to reduce the negative economic impact of population aging and labor shortage problems of hotels.

Furthermore, as the customer base ages, having experienced staff who can relate to and serve senior guests becomes increasingly valuable. Employing older workers would not only reduce turnover but also help hotels to respond to the needs of senior customers, a rapidly growing market segment.

Recommendations for Industry Reform

The research suggests several concrete steps:

Focus on Competency Over Age: Hotel managers should reduce their age stereotyping and focus more on a person’s abilities, knowledge, and previous work experiences when making hiring decisions.
Implement Diversity Training: Diversity training programs should be provided for all employees to increase employees’ understanding of and improve their attitudes toward age diversity.
Expand Training Opportunities: Rather than assuming older workers are less trainable, hotels should ensure that employees of all ages be given access to on-the-job training, which should be designed to facilitate cooperation between younger and older employees.

The hotel industry’s focus on brand-specific experience over hospitality expertise represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives guest satisfaction and business success. While PMS systems may differ, the art of hospitality – taking care of guests and associates with genuine care and professionalism – remains unchanged and is where older hoteliers truly excel.

The hospitality industry’s mission to care for guests would be better served by embracing the wisdom, stability, and customer service excellence that veteran hoteliers bring, rather than perpetuating age-based discrimination that wastes valuable human resources and potentially violates employment law.

Sources

^{Cheung, Sau Yin and Woo, Linda (2021). “Age Stereotypes and the Job Suitability of Older Workers from Hotel Managers’ Perspectives.” International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 95, 102932.}
^{Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel and Tourism Management (2022). “Building an Older, Wiser Workforce. ” HospitalityNet.}
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^{EHL Hospitality Insights (2025). “Hospitality Industry Trends For 2025.” EHL Group.}
^{eHotelier (2020). “The core values of hospitality have never been needed more.” eHotelier Magazine.}
^{U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).” EEOC Guidelines.}
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^{Marriott International (2024). “Our Core Values and Philosophy.” Marriott Corporate Guidelines.}