Keywords

According to human resource practices, employee turnover is a term used to explain the percentage of employees who decide to leave a place of work, either a company or a business, for another business or organization within a particular time frame. This compels the organization to go through the process of identifying a replacement for such employees, which often results in additional responsibilities for the organization in the form of recruitment, training and mentorship of the newly recruited staff. Huang et al. (2016) defines turnover as the “ratio of employees of an organization leaving in a particular period of time compared against the average number of employee in the organization during the same period of time under investigation”. Employee turnover carries huge losses to a company because of the fact that massive resources are used to build and sharpen the skills of employees within the company only to be lost to the competitor organizations. These aspects produce zero value for resources spent, leaving the companies and employers in a sorry state of perpetual knowledge limitation.

The dynamics of the work environment are changing with the advent of globalization. Human resource management plays a vital role in ensuring the employees within an organization are managed within favorable terms and conditions. Employees form a significant part of an organization’s success or failure. This implies that the success of an organization is empirically dependent on the effectiveness of its workforce. Ertas (2015) explains that, irrespective of the resources invested by a business in its core operational activities, the presence or absence of an effective human resource policy and support system contributes heavily to the organization’s success or failure and gets to share a considerable portion of the organization’s final outcomes and bottom lines.

Several human resource experts and other professional publications have advised on effective ways to manage work-based productivity for employees. Suggestions have been provided for periodic training schedules, constant motivation in the workplace, running of promotion and bonus programs and employee empowerment, among others. Human resource strategies and activities demand heavy financial and other related resource requirements that have the potential to affect a considerable percentage of an organization’s budget. It is therefore incumbent upon the human resource experts to develop systems and structures that support employee productivity and motivation. Despite the efforts undertaken by various companies, investing heavily in human resource programs and activities, companies and organizations continue to experience a high level of employee turnover. This greatly inhibits the success of an organization or business given the fact that it robs from it its most significant asset, which is the employee (Ertas, 2015).

Literature Review

The literature review section explores the professional publications and peer-reviewed journals in the area of employee turnover and retention strategies in the light of HRM practices. The section reviews the academic expositions related to the aspects of investigations for the study and discusses the factors that contribute to high employee turnover in the hospitality industry of the UAE. It also delves into the published findings for the possible causes of high employee turnover and suggests through literature review the possible remedial measures employable in the industry. The section also discusses employee retention and outlines the factors that if employed by an organization can lead to retention of its employees. The hospitality industry in the UAE serves a wide range of clientele, majority of whom are prime guests operating away from their homes. This literature, therefore, carries significant value since it provides the general aspects as well as documented occurrences and activities in the industry and the possible challenges that bring about high turnover levels.

The UAE is a popular destination for tourists and the government has launched many initiatives to enhance tourism to generate non-oil income. In 2016, it was estimated that the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the UAE’s GDP was AED 159.1 billion (USD 43.3 billion), which is 12.1 per cent of the GDP. In the first quarter of 2019, Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) reported 2 percent increase in tourism since 2018, with 4.75 million international overnight visitors (DSF, 2018). It has been forecasted by the UAE government that this will rise by 4.9 per cent per annum to AED 264.5 billion (USD 72 billion), which would be 12.4 per cent of the GDP in 2027. It is interesting to know that the travel and tourism sector directly supports 317,500 jobs in the UAE, which is 5.4 per cent of the total employment in the country. By 2027, the UAE expects this to rise by 2.4 per cent per annum to 410,000 jobs (UAE Government Portal, 2019).

The UAE’s hospitality industry comprises several related business sectors, including hotels, lodgings, clubs, inns, resorts and other recreational centers such as bars and clubs. The majority of the hospitality industry players model their roles to provide services to guests away from home (Mohd Azmin, Khalifah, & Ismail, 2017). Meijerink, Bondarouk and Lepak (2016) explain that employees are the main center of focus in the hospitality industry since they provide quality and value to the targeted customers of the organizations. Even though various employees have varied reasons for joining or leaving organizations, Obeidat, Hashem, Alansari, Tarhini and Al-Salti (2016) explain that the majority of reasons that have been illustrated in the hospitality sector border around unfulfilled labor bargains and promises. This includes low compensations, poor working conditions, inadequate work-based benefits and work–life conflicts (Mohd Azmin et al., 2017). All the above factors increase the stress level, leading to poor or under-performance and the eventual turnover.

One of the most resounding impacts of employee turnover in organizations is the fluctuation of quality and value to the customers (Lievens & Slaughter, 2016). Research conducted by Akroush, Jraisat, Kurdieh, Al-Faouri and Qatu (2016) reveals that the majority of return clients for hotels and other recreational business like clubs and bars are due to a relational influence and quality of service offered by particular workers. A customer will feel more comfortable served by a particular waiter or waitress or room service attendant simply because of trust issues or the personal touch offered during the services. According to Akroush et al. (2016), due to sense of security, trust high levels of trust and satisfaction, some customers literally follow up on their waiters or service attendants, as they prefer to be served by the same person. High turnover levels, therefore, deny a business the opportunity to serve return clients and customers who would have similarly served as part of their references to friends and fellow executives, leading to future developments in customer base.

The hospitality industry is characterized by increased mobility and abnormal working hours. These aspects are coupled with high interaction levels with clients of various demographics, professional background and socio-cultural upbringing. This aspect requires top-notch customer relation skills and strong emotional labor skills and approaches from the employees. This fact has been cited in several literature publications as the major determinant of the high turnover rates in the sector, compared to other sectors that offer professional services, are more organized, and are knowledge and skill based and often deal with an informed client base, like banking, or are needs based, like healthcare (Lind, 2018). The high turnover levels and lower retention strategies, coupled with an acute shortage of competent workforce in the hospitality sector, have significantly affected the industry (Ertas, 2015).

Categories of Employee Turnover

The main focus of investigations in the study was on answering the question of why there is a high turnover of employees in the hospitality industry. Similarly, the study seeks to determine whether comprehensive measures can be adopted to ensure employee retention strategy to be part of the operational milestones in the management of organizations in the hospitality sector. Hale Jr, Ployhart and Shepherd (2016) explain that employee turnover is one of the most expensive and disruptive processes or activities that occur within the frameworks of an organization delivering services to its specific and target clients. Similarly, Hale Jr et al. (2016) agree that the level of distractions within an organization compared to the period required for their resolutions is costly, both financially and in terms of losses due to decline in the number of customers who had built allegiance around such employees. In their definition of employee turnover, Meghir, Narita and Robin (2015, p. 1521) explain that the proportion of employees who leave the company vis-à-vis the percentage of the total workforce within such organizations defines the rate of turnover to be either within normal acceptable levels or high.

Discussions about acceptable levels of employee turnover rates have been going on in HR discourses for several decades. While majority HR experts agree that organizations should make efforts to retain employees, despite the several challenges they go through, the discussion focuses on experience and training invested in the employees which is beneficial to the organization. The reality, however, is that humans in their very own formations are social beings and require newer challenges as they progress higher either in academics or in age. Thus, there is an inevitably allowed percentage of turnover that can be categorized as acceptable in every economic sector. This reasoning can be used to define turnover within three model lenses irrespective of their impacts on the organization.

The three categories of employee turnover are voluntary turnover, involuntary turnover and dysfunctional turnover. “Voluntary turnover” is scheduled by the employee while “involuntary turnover” is initiated by the organization due to employee performance issues or organizational restructuring processes (Selden & Sowa, 2015, p. 184). Accordingly, involuntary turnover can be caused by unforeseen circumstances like terminal illness of an employee or death rendering the position vacant. “Dysfunctional turnover”, a voluntary separation among high and average performers, hurts the organizations in substantial levels (Hesford, Malina, & Pizzini, 2016). Selden and Sowa (2015) explain that the costs of dysfunctional turnover exceed any potential benefits that may accrue to the company. The majority of those affected by this decision are highly profitable employees or those with high capabilities and technical skills and make reasonable contributions to the organizations. Most of these employees leave due to growth limitations in the organization, among other reasons. Given their capabilities in handling divergent labors and tasks, sourcing for similar individuals with their skills and capabilities becomes a challenge to most organizations.

Even though most HR experts have endeavored to provide factors that can considerably reduce the level of high employee turnover in an organization, Hesford et al. (2016) posit that it is almost impossible to attain very low rates of employee turnover since some employees have to retire while others leave for reasons caused by sickness or death, among other unique personal reasons. However, it is important to note that such levels of turnover do not have considerable impacts on an organization. Even though many aspersions are cast on organizations that experience high employee turnover with focus placed on their management strategy, the reality is high employee turnover within an industry cannot be assumed to be a matter unique to sectorial players alone. This is because the impacts of high employee turnover affect both the employees and the industry in general. For example, high employee turnover impacts negatively on productivity and industry competitiveness, which consequently impedes skill development (Selden & Sowa, 2015, p. 184). This leads to an entire industry experiencing lower ratings on the global platform and thus affecting business preferences like tourism and other international or foreign visits.

Pereira, Malik and Sharma (2016) identify the following as the major causes of employee turnover:

  • Employees experience challenges due to mismatch in the job, skills or personal ambition.

  • Employees feel the workplace or job is not within their expectations.

  • There are limitations of mentorship, coaching and feedback in the job.

  • Employees are devalued and unrecognized.

  • There are limited growth and advancement opportunities within an organization.

  • Employees experience heavy workloads, too demanding clients and severe stress based on imbalance between work and life.

  • There is loss, or lack, of trust and confidence between the leadership and junior employees in an organization.

Several other factors also impact the employee turnover in an organization in the hospitality industry. Turnover can, however, be problematic and in some cases devastating for organizations. This necessitates remedial measures to be employed within the management systems and structures before an organization considers losing an employee. It has currently become relevant more than ever before for HR experts and consulting firms to develop and implement effective and evidence-based guidelines into the understanding and management of high employee turnover in the hospitality sector. HR managers must come up with strategies to tackle the possible contributors to the high turnover levels so as to regularize employment systems and job satisfaction situations in the sector.

Causes of High Employee Turnover in the Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry experiences one of the highest levels of employee turnover rates in the industries of the global economy (Zopiatis, Constanti, & Theocharous, 2014). This makes the issue a challenge given the importance of this sector in propelling world businesses. Studies conducted among the hospitality industry worldwide have often revealed increased levels of employee turnover rather than a decline. This scenario calls for a varied and substantial look into the models used to resolve this high-end human resource management dilemma. A recent study published by TFG Asset Management revealed that the UAE hospitality industry experiences the highest turnover rates in the country. The study approximates the overall turnover within the sector to be between 25 percent and 30 percent per annum. The situation is, however, compounded by the analysis in an article that reveals that the 30 percent turnover is voluntary (Faz, 2017). This, therefore, implies that the employee makes the decision to walk out of work either due to poor remuneration, an absence of motivation structures or general poor working conditions, among others.

The high rate of employee turnover in the hospitality industry has often been linked to expectations of lower skills among the majority of entry-level employees. Lower skills mean that employees seeking jobs in the hospitality industry require no technical skills, leading to poor wages, and thus are easily replaceable. This implies that if endeavors can be made to develop training and capacity building for the employees, this aspect would attract higher wages, leading to retention strategies.

Work–life conflicts are associated with high employee turnover levels in the UAE hospitality industry. Every global industry requires a balance between work and private life since it determines employee job satisfaction. Every employee works for a purpose in life, and that purpose overrides every other commitment they make on the professional and work-based platform (Zopiatis et al., 2014). Therefore, it means that when a work preoccupation supersedes the interactions in the employee’s private life, the motivation to work is drastically reduced. Sen and Kaushik (2016) explain that majority of operators in the hospitality industry fail to strike a compromise between work and life. This factor leads to poor flexibility and thus results in turnover. The trends of poor work–life balance have been reported not only in several of the Asia-Pacific nations, like India and Malaysia, but also among other developed countries like Ireland (Sen & Kaushik, 2016). Some studies have reported work–life balance to be influential, especially to female employees that have to juggle between the responsibility of bringing up children and caring for family along with other social expectations placed on them by the society.

The hospitality industry requires highly flexible work practices. This fact has been known to contribute to poor job satisfaction since employees can be made redundant as soon as the demand for the services reduces. This implies that keeping and developing a career in the hospitality industry is an uphill task. Employees, therefore, consider the industry merely as a stepping-stone to better prospects. As a result, their commitment to work is reduced, and at any available opportunity they will leave the company for better-paying jobs.

The hospitality industry has been accused of practicing outdated human resource management practices. The level of participation of or consultations with employees in management decisions and human resource systems is very low. Several literature reviews have discussed this fact in depth in several publications. However, the majority of players in the hospitality sector have turned a deaf ear to this factor. As a result, poor wages and abnormally long working hours have characterized the sector. According to the study conducted by Carnahan, Kryscynski and Olson (2017), longer working hours and poor wages cab become the point of conflict between the employees and the employer. Moreover, employee stress is a common occurrence in the hospitality sector. Technology overloads and interpersonal tensions in the workplace have been cited by previous literature reviews as major causes of stressful work situations in this sector. Similarly, work–life conflict and the often limited control of the work environment or schedules lead to incidence of stress among employees in the hospitality industry. These factors, considered with other job limitations like poor wages and longer hours of work, lead to poor motivation, thus influencing the employees to look for alternative places of work.

Comparisons of Employee Turnover in the Airline, Health and Hospitality Sectors

Issues of employee turnover within an organization present varied scenarios based on the management strategies implemented in such organizations. The development of values and value statement as a management tool for managing efficiency ensures employees are adequately motivated. The services or products offered by Dubai Healthcare are of the highest quality and standards and the bottom line of the company has been experiencing positive growth. Southwest Airlines is one of the prime airlines in the United States (US). It has experienced low employee turnover despite several challenges and heavy competition in the air travel industry. The airline ensures “employee comes first” in its operational systems (Southwest Airlines, 2018). Shine (2018) explains that the top three values of the Southwest Airlines are: Employees, Customers and Stockholders. It is important to note their commitment towards the employees, as Customers and stockholders are considered thereafter. This aspect simply implies that the airline’s principal focus is its employees and their motivational systems. Beneath Southwest Airlines mission statement is the culture statement. The entire culture statement of the company is focused on its employees. These facts taken together lead to improved employee motivation and quality services to its customers.

One of the greatest challenges in the UAE’s hospitality sector is the state of employees in its companies. Employees are outsiders or external indirect stakeholders in this industry. However, an analysis of Emirates, an airline that deals with a similar scenario, reveals a different situation. The airline has a progressive HR policy that integrates expatriate employees through capacity and knowledge resource building. If the example of the Southwest Airlines were to be adopted in the hospitality sector of the UAE, high employee turnover would be reduced to low levels.

HR Strategy

The intention of HR strategy is to increase workers’ productivity. In most healthcare organizations such as Dubai Healthcare, the roles of human resource professional are performed by the chief executive officers based on the foundations of accountability, thereby increasing the retention. Accountability involves establishing policy initiatives that are aligned toward increasing profits and employee productivity based on the objectives of the corporate, including prioritization of customers, cultivating the culture of performance, ensuring that the healthcare organization develops a competitive advantage over its rivals and making measured decisions that are fact-based.

Comparisons between hospitality and various sectors reveals that issue of employee turnover in hospitality industry is intense, progressive and excessive. Though several issues speak to the aspects of high employee turnover in the hospitality industry, poor treatment of employees at the workplace stands out as the major influencer.

Factors Affecting Retention

Employee retention refers to the concerted efforts employed by the employer to retain desirable workers in the organization so as to attain its operational milestones set within a specified period. Carnahan et al. (2017), however explains that the employee retention is the extent of an employer’s efforts to keep its employees according to a percentage of the overall workforce. Retention is an important process in an organization since it ensures skills and experiences gained within the organization due to training and long service is kept intact for tapping. The tapping of previous training and on-the-job experience gained in the organization leads to improved productivity and better performance management system in an organization.

For an organization to realize its potential and achieve its operational milestones, strategies of employee retentions and best practices in human resource management must be implemented in an organization. Effective recruitment and retention strategies are essential for improved productivity and enhanced financial performance of an organization.

Work Environment

The findings of the study indicate that the work environment that the majority of hospitality industry workers find themselves in mainly contributes to increased turnover. Work environment includes work schedules, nature of supervisors, reporting times, the very nature of the work itself and work flexibility (Rubino & Reid, 2014). Similarly, a high percentage of the literature review publications seem to agree to an absence of standardized human resource policy in the hospitality industry. It is important to note that organizations that maintain clear-cut HR approaches and policies often have opportunities for development since they are able to consult the policies in times of operational challenges. The absence of HR manuals and internal HR regulations and the non-conformance to international standardizations in the HR practices are what bedevil the hospitality industry of the UAE with regard to high employee turnover. The chaotic situation with respect to HR practices has a reasonable solution in the form of motivators and hygiene factors of Herzberg’s theory (Rubino & Reid, 2014).

Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory indicates that certain job factors are consistently related to job satisfaction, known as motivation factors, which include achievement, recognition and responsibility (Khosorowshahi & Nejad, 2014). The theory goes on to enumerate the aspects of a job or work-related schedules that contribute to job dissatisfaction, known as hygiene factors, which include supervision, relationship with supervisors, work condition, salary and company polies. The findings in the literature review reveal that almost all hygiene factors mentioned in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory must be prevalent in the hospitality industry of the UAE because dissatisfaction is rampant in this industry. This implies that the development and application of HR best practices, such as employing better pay structures, improving the relationship between the supervisors and the employee, and generally improving the conditions of work like the hours of service, will help reduce the turnover in the industry, which at the moment is reaching crisis levels.

Training and Development

Training and development affects the commitment of employees and their satisfaction in an organization. This aspect in turn affects aspects of employee retention. Lack of adequate training in an organization works against the attainment of quality standards while accelerating turnover. The findings in the literature review reveal that training and development in the hospitality industry is minimal and in most cases not available to staff. The entry-level employees have minimal skills, which are mainly the ability to read and write and other basic skills (Rubino & Reid, 2014). Given that these organizations have limited opportunities for training and improving the capabilities of their employees, the relationship between the organization and the employees shifts to strictly performance and profits. Landy and Conte (2016) explain that employees who feel they have a chance to develop new skills in an organization, or within their jobs, are more likely to remain serving in their organization rather than look for a similar position elsewhere. According to the knowledge-based theory, an organization considering knowledge as a strategic and significant resource develops through better operational structures (Hitt, Xu, & Carnes, 2016). The proponents of the knowledge-based theoretical foundation argue that since knowledge-based resources are often difficult to imitate, heterogeneous and socially complex among organizations, they are the determinants of market leadership in products and services, thus influencing competitive advantage. Training new employees, therefore, ensures they are better equipped with knowledge resources about the organization, its core values, its culture and its competitors. This information develops confidence among the employees and provides an induction into quality services and higher value prospects to the customers. Accordingly, employees view such training and development as an investment in them by the organization, thus leading to improved motivation and increased job satisfaction (Rubino & Reid, 2014). This in turn results in higher job retention levels in the company.

Work–Life Balance

Work–life balance is a major issue for employees in the hospitality sector as well as their employers. The limitations in or poor balance between work and non-work activities is related to reduced happiness both psychologically and physically. Finding happiness at work is an important factor that leads to job retention. Most employers expect their employees to work over weekends, which has been noted to cause severe emotional stress and mental exhaustion (Landy & Conte, 2016). Several women struggle with maintaining a work–life balance since they are expected to carry out more family-based obligations compared to their male counterparts. The findings in the literature review reveal work–life balance to be the highest contributor to the high employee turnover rate in the hospitality industry. Even though working over weekends is inevitable in the hospitality industry, an organized schedule of days off for employees, especially during weekends, will help improve motivation.

The Four Burners Theory uses a four-quadrant stove to explain work–life balance situations (Rubino & Reid, 2014). The theory represents life by a stove with four burners, with each burner symbolizing one major quadrant of one’s life: family, friends, health and work. According to the theory, in order for one to be successful, it is necessary that he or she cuts of one or two of the burners. Several theories and ideas have been developed in order to keep all burners alight, such as outsourcing services of one quadrant so as to free time for the other quadrants. The aspects presented in the Four Burners Theory require a technical balance between work and life. It is important that HR managers in the hospitality industry consider the importance of all four burners so as to fashion work schedules that allow the running of the other three burners as well, thus helping employees maintain work–life balance. In simple terminology, life is not just about work but is about family, friends, employee health situations and work combined.

Rewards and Their Benefits

Rewards and work benefits are an important part of HR practices world over. Best HR practices have endeavored to develop explicit policies and procedures meant to provide a framework for the application of work-based reward systems. The literature analysis reveals that models of such programs of rewards and benefits are almost absent in the hospitality industry of the UAE. Rewards play a critical role in influencing retention levels in an organization (Carnahan et al., 2017, p. 1937). Organizations in the hospitality industry need to develop a rewards system within their management policies so as to build an effective and motivated workforce. Motivation dynamics have changed considerably to reflect work requirements and worker expectations. The concept of intrinsic rewards has more significance than the extrinsic motivational mechanism (Rubino & Reid, 2014). However, the hospitality industry faces challenges even in meeting the bare minimum requirements of HR practices such as secure job environment, standardized work hours and better pay commensurate to the services provided. The models of reinforcement and expectancy theories focus on the relationship between extrinsic rewards and performance. The reinforcement theory expounds that a positive reaction after a rewards system is more likely to recur in the future (Lepper & Greene, 2015). The expectancy theory focuses similarly on the relationship between rewards and behavior. Compensation systems differ generally on the motivational systems they accrue to the employee. Instrumental perceptions used to build employee motivation are important in HR practices and can therefore be used to reduce higher employee turnover (Lepper & Greene, 2015).

Communication

Communication is a significant factor in a company’s success. There are several aspects of communication that can influence a positive relationship between employees and their employers. Regular staff briefing and easy access to managers coupled with intercommunication among employees improve the aspects of cohesion and trust among employees and their seniors. The literature reviews point out to an absence of healthy communication systems and methods in the hospitality sector. Most of the entry-level staff employed communicate only with their immediate supervisors, leading to poor confidence building in the organization. The critical theory asserts that conflict is a natural occurrence within an organization (Lepper & Greene, 2015). Employees will, therefore, tend to resist instructions from their manager. Communication in the critical theory takes the role of managing the conflicts and preventing them from occurring through encouragement and the opening up of discourses on various aspects of conflicts. Thus the application of the critical theory in the hospitality industry will ensure the opening up of discourses and generate moments of sharing, which will lead to better understanding of people and procedures.

Conclusion

The implementation of HR best practices is an important phenomenon that should be given precedence in the hospitality industry of the UAE. It is necessary that industry players develop human resource manuals and policies for application in their departments. Employees must be given formal work contracts of not less than two years, renewable so as to build confidence in their work. The HR best practices should be followed at work. Making employment in the hospitality industry lucrative will reduce the impacts of high employee turnover witnessed in the sector. Similarly, to ensure skill building and increase commitment, training and development should be incorporated in the hospitality industry of the UAE.

A majority of entry-level employees in this industry suffer from limitations of skills. In some cases, the entry-level employees are overqualified for their jobs, but the sector faces challenges in offering internal promotions. Improving aspects of internal promotions will work to increase retention. If the chances of growth and opportunity are limited, employees often tend to disengage at work while seeking opportunities elsewhere. Therefore, developing measures of promotions and sourcing from within the organization when a position becomes available at the senior level will encourage the staff to stay around and work hard while gaining both professional skills through education and technical skills through experience.

The hospitality industry is characterized by stockholders running the show while the employees are in most cases viewed as outsiders. Improved compensation is a measure that can influence higher retention rates. However, there is a need for a good motivation system to remedy the situation of high employee turnover in the industry. Several organizations have developed an employee ownership mechanism as a motivation system. In this model, the employee is considered for company ownership through subsidized stocks within various departments. This opportunity for the ownership of the organization they work for will ensure the employees give their best quality and work to serve customers better simply because they understand that the profits and dividends would accrue to them at the end of the year. These aspects can considerably reduce the high employee turnover rates in the hospitality industry.

The factors influencing the high turnover level have remained the same for several decades as noted in the findings of this study. Some of the heavy influencers are the strenuous and abnormally long working hours, low skill expectation at entry levels and the conflict witnessed in work–life balance. It is important that employees and employers in the hospitality industry find a point of compromise so as to end this rampant trend. Human resource management experts must be allowed to voice their opinion about the employment standards of workers. Employee motivation techniques should be employed in the hospitality industry. Given that employees in other professional services such as banks and insurance, including those in the medical field, have progressive motivation systems, it is important that actors in the hospitality industry also employ such measures to reduce employee turnover. Job flexibility, improved relationship between employees and managers/supervisors and effective communication systems should be adopted by organizations in order to limit the ever increasing rates of employee turnover in the hospitality sector.