New Research: What Gen Z Wants from a Career in Hospitality
2 November 2026
Young people are interested in hospitality careers. Our new research with Nelson College London shows the challenge is making the long-term path visible and credible.
4C Group has published Engaging Generation Z: Shaping the Future Workforce in Hospitality, an applied research project led by the Nelson College London (NCL) Research Centre in partnership with 4C Group. Carried out between May and August 2026, the study explored how hotels can attract, motivate and retain Generation Z employees. It drew on interviews with Gen Z colleagues and management and HR teams at two 4C Group hotels in London, a questionnaire of hospitality students, interviews with hospitality academics, and benchmarking against wider industry evidence.
Why this research matters to us
Responsible business is core to everything we do at 4C Group. We believe long-term success comes from creating real value for our guests, colleagues, investors, partners and the communities we work in, and that includes investing in our people. Understanding what the next generation of hospitality talent needs is part of our longer-term strategy to build the workforce of the future. Gen Z already make up a growing share of our hotel teams, and their expectations will shape how the industry recruits, develops and retains people for years to come.
Partnering with Nelson College London connects our hotels directly with the students and academics shaping that future workforce, and grounds our decisions in independent evidence rather than assumption.
Read the research summary: Report Link
Interest is there. Visibility is the gap.
81% of the hospitality students surveyed said they were likely to pursue a career in hospitality, and 86% saw long-term career opportunities in the sector. The question is not whether progression exists, but whether people can see it. Across every group in the study, the strongest recurring issue was how clearly career pathways, timelines and long-term opportunities are communicated. 67% of students said clearer career pathways would make hospitality more attractive, and 71% said the same of better pay and benefits.
What Gen Z colleagues told us
At our London hotels, 80% of the Gen Z colleagues interviewed cited career progression, 80% a positive workplace culture and 80% flexibility. 70% highlighted mentorship and guidance.
For these colleagues, progression meant more than promotion. It included learning new skills, moving between departments and being able to see what comes next. They also spoke more positively about their own hotels than about hospitality as a sector, which underlines how much day-to-day culture and leadership shape the employee experience.
Management and HR teams pointed in the same direction: leadership increasingly means coaching, guidance and career development, not simply operational supervision.
Five themes that shape how Gen Z sees hospitality work
- Career progression and development, the strongest theme overall
- Work-life balance and flexibility, central to both attraction and retention
- Mentorship and supportive leadership, linked to engagement and retention
- Workplace culture, a major influence on employee experience
- Pay, reward and recognition, important, but judged as part of the wider employment offer rather than on salary alone
From evidence to action
The report sets out nine recommendations, seven of them rated high priority. They include a formal career pathway framework across all departments, a structured mentoring and career coaching programme, bi-annual career development reviews held separately from performance appraisals, and a Gen Z talent development programme with cross-departmental exposure.
“This research gives us valuable insight into what helps young people see hospitality as a meaningful, long-term career — clear progression opportunities, genuine mentoring and managers who actively coach and develop their teams. By sharing these findings, we hope to contribute to a wider industry conversation about how we create stronger career pathways and ensure hospitality is seen not simply as a stepping stone, but as an industry where people can build, grow and succeed.”
Idy Udo, Group Director of Administration, 4C Group
The findings are already informing how we think about career pathways, mentoring and manager development across our hotels. We are sharing them in the hope that they are useful to our partners and to the wider industry. The research summary covers the full findings, external benchmarking against Deloitte and CIPD data, all nine recommendations and an implementation roadmap.
The full project report is available on request from Dr Husam Helmi, Research Centre Manager at Nelson College London: husam.helmi@nelsoncollege.ac.uk. Media enquiries: communications@4cgroup.co.uk.
About 4C Group
4C Group is a market-leading property developer and operator with a growing portfolio of hotels, residential and mixed-use developments across the UK, East Africa and Canada.
The Group works with major global hospitality brands, including Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Choice, and its portfolio features landmark properties such as The Westin London City and Canopy by Hilton London City, among others.
Through thoughtful development, operational excellence and a commitment to sustainable growth, 4C Group creates exceptional places that deliver lasting value for guests, investors and local communities.
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