Strategic priorities of personnel management of an enterprise in the hospitality sector

Abstract

Abstract. The article examines the strategic priorities of human resource management in hospitality enterprises under global and national challenges. The theoretical framework of Strategic HRM (resource-based view, AMO framework, best-fit vs best-practice debate, service-profit chain) and its adaptation to the hospitality industry – characterised by high labour intensity, emotional labour, seasonality, low entry barriers and chronic staff turnover – is analysed. Employee retention is substantiated as the first-order strategic priority, since turnover costs systematically and significantly exceed investments in retention. The role of employer branding and Employee Value Proposition in building labour-market competitiveness is explored; a comparative analysis of EVP strategies employed by international hotel chains (Hilton, Accor, Marriott) versus local enterprises is conducted. The strategic significance of continuous competency development, encompassing hard skills, soft skills and digital skills, as well as the challenge of preserving institutional knowledge amid high turnover, is investigated. Digital transformation of HR processes in hospitality – from basic automation to people analytics – is analysed, and systemic barriers to digitalisation for small and medium-sized enterprises are identified. Particular attention is paid to the Ukrainian context: mass labour migration, wartime workforce deficit, geographical demand asymmetry and the reorientation of hospitality segments (domestic tourism, business hospitality, humanitarian missions). Based on a comparative analysis of post-conflict hospitality workforce recovery experiences (Croatia, Sri Lanka, Georgia) and EU integration requirements (EQF, ESCO), the author proposes a hierarchy of strategic HRM priorities for Ukrainian hospitality enterprises across three time horizons: the critical period (2024–2026), the reconstruction phase (2026–2030) and the long-term strategic perspective (2030+).