Booking.com research reveals widening gap between future skills ambitions and current training priorities in Europe’s hospitality sector

Booking.com has released new research informed by insights from across the accommodation sector, highlighting the growing disparity between future skills necessities and present training priorities.

Digital Skills:
- 82% of employers say digital literacy is critical for the future.
- Only 16% currently prioritize digital training.
- 75% of employees feel confident in their digital literacy, but 36% still cite lack of skills as a barrier to career progression.

Technology Use:
- 78% of employers see tech for efficiency and guest service as vital.
- Only 29% prioritize training in this area today.

Sustainability:
- 87% expect sustainability skills to grow in importance.
- Just 11% prioritize training now.

Sales & Marketing:
- 78% say these skills will be critical.
- Only 9% prioritize training currently.

Soft Skills:
- Employers rank customer service low (12%) as a training need.
- Yet, when asked to improve one area, customer service was the top choice.
- Experts highlight communication, adaptability, and teamwork as persistent shortcomings.

Challenges
- High costs and integration difficulties hinder structured upskilling.
- Staff turnover further complicates training delivery.
- Employers would support online training if it’s low cost, high quality, and in local languages.
- Employees are eager: 88% would join online training, willing to invest ~3 hours per week.

Industry Perspective
Matthias Schmid, SVP Accommodations at Booking.com, emphasized that independent accommodations are vital to Europe’s tourism ecosystem, and collaboration is needed to create scalable solutions to close the skills gap.

Methodology
- Surveyed ~5,000 professionals across Europe.
- 194 in-depth interviews with industry and labor market experts.
- Data collected between June–October 2025.

This research paints a clear picture: hospitality employers recognize future skill needs but aren’t investing enough in training today, creating a widening gap between ambition and preparedness.