Hotel chain Hilton targets ‘quiet quitting’ over-50s in London recruitment drive

Hotel chain Hilton is targeting over 50-year-olds looking to get back to work to help fill 160 job vacancies in London.

The company’s research suggests a growing number of employees are considering changing careers or their working hours to facilitate travel dreams.

Of 400 new roles across the UK, the largest number will be in the capital - including vaccancies in food and beverage, front office, housekeeping, culinary, engineering and events.

Hilton said its research found many older workers cite burnout from their current office-based role as the main driver to pursue a new path.

For others, seeing their children fly the nest has created more opportunity.

Recent data from Gallup also found UK employees are among the least motivated by their work in Europe, with only 10 per cent saying that they were engaged.

Dubbed “quiet quitters”, they do the minimum and don’t go above and beyond in their efforts.

The lack of engagement is estimated to cost the British economy 11 per cent of GDP, or £257 billion annually.

HR manager Marlene Batson, 56, joined Hilton in 2022 having taken early retirement from the civil service.

She now looks after four hotels just north of London, including the Hilton Watford, Hertfordshire.

Mrs Batson has a love of travel and enjoys the flexibility of working part-time so she can spend weekends exploring new parts of the UK.

She has an ambition to visit as many of Hilton’s 8,000 hotels as she can, adding: “Joining Hilton was such a culture change in a fantastic and positive way.

“As well as enjoying the sociable nature of my role, and getting out to visit the hotels I work with, I love the flexibility of working part-time so I can use my free time to explore new places.

“Working for a travel company is a huge benefit in itself – there are so many places I’d like to visit – it’s great to have a job that helps me fulfil my dreams of travelling around the world.”

Steve Cassidy, Hilton’s senior vice president and managing director, added: “With most working lives stretching through several decades, people are increasingly exploring a second career later in life.

“This growing trend is leading to an upsurge in demand for roles that offer something wholly different, and hospitality has a role to suit every path, whether that’s more flexibility to travel, a more active working life away from a traditional desk job, or a pathway back into work after a period of looking after family members.”

ANTHONY FRANCE