The hospitality industry in 2025 is entering a new era, one where customer satisfaction, personalized guest experiences, and efficient hospitality workforce solutions are the true differentiators. While guest spending is projected to reach a record $777 billion, hotels are still struggling with labor shortages, rising wages, and evolving guest expectations.
In a world where automation is no longer a competitive edge, the human element has taken center stage. Guests today are seeking more than just seamless check-ins and digital conveniences. They crave genuine connections, personalized service, and a level of hospitality that makes them feel valued. The challenge for hotels is to strike the perfect balance, leveraging technology to optimize operations and reducing cost, while ensuring that the warmth of human interaction remains at the heart of every guest experience.
With major global events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, demand will only intensify. Yet operating costs continue to rise faster than revenue, and staffing shortages persist, making it increasingly difficult for hotels to maintain the high standards of service that guests now expect.
That is where EDS Service Solutions comes in. We bridge the gap between technology and human expertise, creating cost effective workforce management models that find the right talent for the right roles at the right time, from backend support to customer facing professionals. At EDS, we do not just provide staff, we become an extension of your team, embracing your goals and values to help you succeed, ensuring that every employee shares our commitment to operational excellence, innovation, and a customer-centric approach. We empower excellence in every workforce.
The hospitality industry has made progress in rebuilding its workforce since the pandemic, but staffing remains a major challenge. Over the past four years, hotels have added back more than 467,000 jobs after losing over 680,000 positions during Covid, between 2019 and 2020. In 2024, U.S. hotels employed 2.15 million workers, slightly exceeding expectations, with total wages reaching $125.79 billion.
Even with this progress, the industry still hasn’t caught up to pre-pandemic staffing levels. In 2025, hotels are expected to hire another 14,000 direct employees, bringing total employment to 2.17 million, with wages and salaries increasing 2.13% to $128.47 billion. But even with these additions, many hotels will still be operating short-staffed, making it tough to meet rising guest expectations.
A December 2024 survey by AHLA and Hireology found that 64.9% of hotels are still struggling to find enough workers, forcing them to adjust their hiring strategies. Among those experiencing shortages:
Even with these efforts, many hotels are still short-staffed, making it harder to maintain service quality. That’s why having a reliable, scalable staffing solution has never been more important.
AI and automation have made hotel operations more efficient by speeding up check-ins, managing schedules, and personalizing guest experiences. Mobile check-in, digital room keys, and AI-powered concierge services now make stays more convenient than ever. But as hotels rely more on technology, many are seeing a drop in guest satisfaction due to the loss of personal connection.
A recent PwC study found that 82 percent of U.S. consumers still want more human interaction in customer service, even as businesses automate more processes. A 2024 JD Power report also revealed that hotels relying too much on self-service options see 12 percent lower guest satisfaction scores than those that maintain strong human engagement.
Where Technology and Automation Works Best
Where Automation Falls Short
At EDS Service Solutions, we go beyond traditional staffing by integrating proprietary technology with human expertise to enhance the entire labor funnel, from hospitality talent acquisition to workforce optimization. Our data-driven approach ensures that hotels receive the right talent at the right time, optimizing operational efficiency and elevating guests’ experience, while reducing costs.
Finding and hiring top-tier hospitality talent is one of the industry’s biggest challenges. EDS solves this with a hybrid approach that combines cutting-edge automation, human recruiting expertise, and rapid workforce deployment to ensure hotels receive the right talent at the right time.
Our technology doesn’t stop at hiring, it enhances day-to-day hotel operations. Our proprietary workforce management software forecasts staffing needs, ensuring hotels maintain ideal workforce levels while minimizing excess labor costs.
By combining technology with human expertise, EDS Service Solutions empowers hotels to stay ahead of labor challenges while delivering seamless, personalized guest experiences. Our proprietary workforce management platform isn’t just about staffing, it’s about creating a smarter, more agile, and cost-effective hospitality workforce. The future of hospitality belongs to those who master workforce agility. Let EDS Service solutions help you optimize your hospitality workforce strategy with on-demand hotel staffing and cost effective workforce management solutions. Contact us today to build a strong, more scalable team.
