Marriott uses Facebook game to aid recruitment among millennials

Inspired by the social network games FarmVille and CityVille, the Marriott My Hotel game, which is available to download in five languages, invites players to manage a virtual hotel restaurant kitchen before moving on to other areas of hotel operations. Happy customers earn players points while they lose points for poor service and rewards are given when their operation turns a profit.

It is hoped the game will help Marriott fill an estimated 50,000 jobs across its international estate by the end of the year by targetting a new generation through social networking.

“As Marriott expands in growth markets outside the U.S., and as we seek to attract more millennials – those between the ages 18 and 27 – to our workforce, we must find new ways to interest them in hospitality careers,” said David Rodriguez, executive vice President of global human resources.

“This game allows us to showcase the world of opportunities and the growth potential attainable in hospitality careers, especially in cultures where the service industry might be less established or prestigious.”

Recruitment drive​

Despite administrators being called in to take over the running of 42 Marriott hotels in the UK earlier this month, Marriott is continuing with its recruitment drive and is already building interest through its Facebook page.

So far, Marriott's Jobs & Career's page​, launched a month ago and featuring the game, is liked by more than 10,000 people. A spokesperson for Marriott told BigHospitality it was difficult to say yet if the campaign was pulling in potential staff but that it was a positive step towards telling a web-savvy generation about careers in hospitality.