AHLA expects the U.S. hotel workforce to grow by more than 30,000 jobs in 2026), yet in its March 2026 survey more than half of hotels said they were still understaffed. That gap hits hardest at peak season, when every property in the market is hiring at once. Most seasonal hiring problems aren't caused by a lack of candidates. They're caused by starting too late. Seasonal hotel staffing works when you plan it backward from your first peak week, and treat the season's end as the start of next year's hiring.
Why Seasonal Hiring Goes Wrong
Hiring Starts When the Season Does
Many properties open seasonal roles a few weeks before peak, just as every other hotel, restaurant and attraction in town does the same. By then, the strongest candidates have already accepted offers elsewhere.
Last Season's Best Staff are Never Asked Back
Your most reliable seasonal hires already know the property, the systems and the guests. Yet many hotels let them leave in the fall without a plan to bring them back, then start from zero in the spring.
Seasonal Hires Leave Halfway Through
A seasonal role that turns out to have unclear hours, unexpected duties or no reason to stay to the end loses people mid-season, exactly when you can least afford it.
Compliance Details Get Missed in the Rush
Seasonal hiring often means teen workers, returning employees and bonus programs. Each comes with rules that are easy to overlook when you're hiring dozens of people in a few weeks.
A Seasonal Staffing Timeline That Works
Count backward from the first week of your peak season. Adjust the timing to your market, but keep the order.
1. 4 to 6 Months Out: Forecast What You Need
Use last season's occupancy, event calendar and staffing data to estimate how many people you'll need, by role and by week. Separate roles you'll fill with returning staff from roles you'll recruit new. Set the pay rates now, so you're not negotiating them in a rush later.
2. About 3 Months Out: Bring Back Last Season's Staff
Contact everyone from last season who was marked eligible for rehire. Offer them first choice of shifts or roles, and ask them to refer friends.
Returning staff can also save paperwork. If you rehire someone within three years of the date their original Form I-9 was completed, USCIS allows you to either complete a new Form I-9 or complete Supplement B of the previous one. After three years, a new Form I-9 is required.
3. 8 to 10 Weeks Out: Open Your Postings
Post every seasonal role with the real dates, hours, pay and duties. Be clear about the season's start and end so candidates who need year-round work don't apply and quit.
Recruit where seasonal workers are: local high schools and colleges, retirees, teachers on summer break and people with a weekday job who want weekend work. Let them apply from their phones in a few minutes.
4. 4 to 6 Weeks Out: Hire in Batches
Hold hiring events or open interview hours where qualified candidates can interview and receive an offer the same day. Ask every candidate for a role the same job-related questions, starting with availability for the full season.
If you hire workers under 18, check the hour limits before you build schedules. Federal rules let 14- and 15-year-olds work up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week, and from June 1 through Labor Day they can work until 9 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. Many states have their own child labor laws, and where both apply, the stricter standard wins. Teens under 18 are also barred from certain hazardous tasks, such as operating meat slicers.
5. 1 to 2 Weeks Out: Onboard and Train Before Guests Arrive
Send tax forms, direct deposit and policy acknowledgments to new hires' phones as soon as they accept. Schedule training before the season's first busy weekend, not during it. New hires who start the season already trained are far more likely to finish it.
Read : The Hotel Management Company Guide to Paperless Onboarding at Scale
6. During the Season: Give People a Reason to Stay
Check in with seasonal staff early and often, and fix scheduling problems fast. Many hotels offer a bonus for completing the season. If you do, remember that a bonus employees are promised in advance is generally a non discretionary bonus under federal law, and it must be included in the regular rate of pay when calculating overtime. Build that into your budget.
7. After the Season: Set Up Next Year
Hold short exit conversations to learn what worked and what didn't. Mark each departing employee as eligible or not eligible for rehire, and keep their contact information. Stay in touch during the off-season so next year's step two takes days, not weeks. Keep their I-9s on file for as long as federal retention rules require.
For multi-property groups, share the seasonal pool across properties in the same market so staff can pick up more hours and you get a deeper bench.
How HigherMe Helps You Staff Up for Peak Season
HigherMe is an hourly hiring platform used across 20,000+ locations, including hospitality. For seasonal surges, it helps you hire quickly and consistently:
- Text-to-Apply and short mobile applications, with custom screening questions for season dates and availability.
- NextMatch AI asks every candidate the same structured questions, so managers can review summaries instead of making dozens of screening calls.
- Self-scheduled interviews with automatic reminders, which help you fill hiring events quickly.
- Paperless onboarding with Form I-9 and E-Verify, so seasonal staff are ready before the first busy weekend.
Seasonal staffing doesn't fail in peak season. It fails three months earlier, when nobody started planning. Our view: the hotels that handle peak season best treat the end of each season as the start of the next one's hiring. To see how HigherMe helps hotels staff up for peak season, visit HigherMe.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should hotels start hiring for peak season?
Start forecasting four to six months before peak, contact returning staff about three months out and open postings eight to ten weeks before the first busy week. Starting earlier means you reach candidates before other employers in your market do. HigherMe's Text-to-Apply and screening tools help you move quickly once postings go live.
2. How do you keep seasonal staff through the end of the season?
Be honest about hours and duties up front, train new hires before guests arrive, check in regularly and consider a bonus for completing the season. If the bonus is promised in advance, include it in the regular rate when calculating overtime. HigherMe helps on the hiring side by screening for full-season availability from the first application.
3. Do rehired seasonal employees need a new Form I-9?
Not always. If you rehire someone within three years of the date their original Form I-9 was completed, you can either complete a new Form I-9 or complete Supplement B of the previous one (USCIS). After three years, a new form is required. HigherMe's paperless onboarding includes Form I-9 and E-Verify for new seasonal hires.
4. How many hours can teens work during the summer?
Under federal law, 14- and 15-year-olds can work up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week, and until 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Federal law doesn't limit hours for workers 16 and older, but state laws may. HigherMe's custom screening questions let you collect availability up front so you can schedule within the rules.
5. How do you rehire last season's staff?
Mark departing staff as eligible for rehire at the end of the season, keep their contact details and reach out about three months before peak with first choice of shifts. Returning staff need less training and know your property. HigherMe lets returning candidates apply quickly from their phones, so bringing them back takes days instead of weeks.
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