Amid a workforce shortage in the hospitality industry, Marriott International is focusing on employee development to improve its talent acquisition and retention.  The U.S.-headquartered hotel chain, which has a European portfolio of over 800 properties, ranks 15th on Fortune’s 100 Best Compan ies to Work For – Europe list—up from No. 44 on last year’s rankings.  “What people sometimes don’t realize is that we offer lots of options career-wise,” says Francisca Martinez, chief human resources officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Marriott International. “We have pretty much every discipline that you could find in any corporate organization.”  The hospitality and hotel sector is one of Europe’s largest employers, with more than 10 million people working across 2 million businesses, according to data from Hotrec, the association of hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés in Europe.   15marriot internationl’s rank on Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For – Europe However, research from a trade group shows significant workforce gaps, with 10% of hospitality roles unfilled on average across the EU member states.  Marriott’s answer to this challenge has been to invest in talent programs to develop the next generation of hospitality leaders. Candidates require a combination of interpersonal and commercial skills to succeed in the sector, according to Martinez.   Francisca Martinez, chief human resources officer for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Marriott International.Marriott International “You have to connect with people, but you also need to be resilient, to have the emotional intelligence to deal with all kinds of situations,” she says. “Having a strong commercial acumen is also key because you’re making decisions quickly and often under pressure.”  Marriott offers a range of apprenticeships and vocational training programs across Europe for those who are new to the industry. Internal programs, such as ‘Voyage,’ a 12- to 18-month rotational graduate program, are also available to employees globally.    Marriott launched its Youth Champion Program in 2025 to address the talent shortfalls in Europe and support early-career hiring in the region. The program has helped Marriott develop relationships with schools, universities, and NGOs to promote careers in hospitality and it now has 61 champions across 37 countries.   Nearly eight in 10 Marriott associates in Europe say they are offered training or development to further themselves professionally, compared with just over half of employees at a typical European workplace.  Anyone can be a leader  Martinez is a firm believer that anyone at Marriott can develop into a future leader. “We believe we can hire someone with zero experience and teach them everything they need to know to succeed,” she says.   “You have to connect with people, but also be resilient and have emotional intelligence to deal with all situations. Strong commercial acumen is also key.”Francisca Martinez, chief human resources officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Marriott International Many of Marriott’s current leadership team started in a frontline role before working their way into senior management. The company has helped to formalize this process through a new program called ‘Elevate’ to bring targeted training and one-on-one coaching to frontline employees aspiring to become managers.  Over 2,600 staff have participated in the six-month program and it has had a positive impact on employee attrition and career advancement. Retention was 2.5 times higher among those who participated in the program than non-participants and they were also 5.5 times more likely to be promoted.   In Europe, this training is crucial for helping frontline staff acquire the skills needed to advance into management and leadership positions. The program trains in languages, tech skills, and business acumen.   “We teach them how to manage others, how to work in teams — things you’re going to need as a first-time manager,” Martinez says. At Marriott, 85% of employees say people are given significant responsibility, compared with 64% at a typical European workplace.  The opportunity to change disciplines and roles is also a unique selling point, Martinez adds. “To be an engineer, you need to have studied engineering,” she says, “but most jobs at the company you can learn without having deep prior training or job experience.”  Marriott makes a concerted effort to connect employees to new opportunities. Every employee has access to an internal job posting platform and new roles are advertised across internal communication channels. The platform also allows Marriott to see what skills its employees have, their level of experience, and their career aspirations.   “Internal talent is always given a preference, unless we are trying to bring in a skillset we don’t have,” Martinez says. Seven in 10 employees say promotions go to those who best deserve them, nearly twice the proportion at a typical European workplace.  Retraining refugees  Marriott’s talent infrastructure and training programs have also proven beneficial during crises.   After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Marriott supported and mentored refugees looking to relocate and rebuild their lives. To date, the company has hired more than 1,500 refugees across Europe.   “Hotels were trying to do the right thing to support those in need, but at the same time, we uncovered a great pool of talent that to this day we’re leveraging across the region,” Martinez says.   Partnering with the Tent Refugee Women Mentorship Program, Marriott supports refugee women with practical career guidance, including navigating local labor markets, workplace culture, CV writing and interview preparation.   By the end of last year, 65 Marriott associates provided more than 680 hours of mentorship, helping refugee women build confidence and job skills, as well as find opportunities for work.  Marriott’s underlying core value of care is just one of the reasons that leaders like Martinez choose to stay with Marriott. “I believe in these values,” Martinez says. “I believe in what the company does. I’m here because I feel like this is a growing, successful, value-driven organization.”  Ted Kitterman is a content marketing manager at Great Place To Work®.  For the latest insights into the companies on Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For – Europe list, visit this page. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com ...read more read less