Which Hotel Company Employs the Most People?

Which Hotel Company Employs the Most People? Key Takeaways

Marriott International is the world’s largest hotel employer, with around 418,000 employees — more than double the headcount of most global competitors.

Hilton ranks second globally with 181,000 employees, highlighting a significant employment gap between the industry’s top two brands.

Hotel employment is heavily concentrated in a few major markets, led by the U.S., China, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Spain, France, the U.K., Japan and Macau.

The hospitality industry is one of the world’s largest employers, and hotel chains alone account for millions of jobs worldwide.

This article identifies which hotel company employs the most people and examines how leading brands compare in scale.

Which Hotel Company Has the Most Employees?

When it comes to total headcount, Marriott International stands firmly as the world’s largest hotel employer. In 2024, the company employed approximately 418,000 associates worldwide.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings ranks second, employing around 181,000 people — less than half of Marriott’s workforce.

A workforce of more than 400,000 positions Marriott as not just a hotel brand, but a massive global employer with deep operational infrastructure.

Such scale supports broader brand portfolios, stronger loyalty programs and greater resilience during market fluctuations.

Hotel Employment by Country/Region

The global hotel workforce is heavily concentrated in a handful of key markets.

The United States, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Macau, Japan and India stand out as the most significant due to their large hospitality workforces.

Let’s take a closer look at the largest hotel employers across these markets.

United States

The United States leads global hotel employment, with Marriott employing about 418,000 people and Hilton following with roughly 181,000.

Other major U.S. employers include MGM Resorts International (60,000 employees), Hyatt Hotels Corporation (52,000) and Las Vegas Sands (39,900), all of which operate large portfolios spanning hotels, resorts and entertainment venues.

The broader U.S. hotel sector blends franchised and company-owned properties, with brands such as Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels International and Playa Hotels & Resorts employing thousands more.

Altogether, American hotel companies support well over 900,000 jobs, firmly establishing the United States as the world’s leading hospitality employment hub.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s largest hospitality employer is Genting Berhad, which runs integrated resort properties such as Resorts World Genting and multiple international holdings.

The group employs around 54,000 people globally, including significant numbers within Malaysia.

Its subsidiary, Genting Malaysia Berhad, also plays a major role in the country’s hotel and gaming sector.

Together, these companies drive employment across entertainment, lodging and food & beverage services — representing a cornerstone of Malaysia’s tourism economy.

China

In China, the leading hotel employer is Huazhu Hotels Group, which manages more than 28,500 employees across brands like Joya, Hanting and Steigenberger.

The company has rapidly expanded across Asia and Europe, becoming one of the world’s top hotel networks by property count.

Other notable Chinese hospitality employers include Atour Lifestyle Holdings, employing around 5,488 people and GreenTree Hospitality Group, with over 2,300 employees.

China’s hotel sector remains one of the fastest-growing, driven by domestic tourism and a growing middle class.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s hotel sector is dense with large employers due to its concentration of luxury brands and integrated resorts.

The largest is Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, employing about 26,100 people across Asia, followed by Melco Resorts & Entertainment (21,784), Galaxy Entertainment (21,100) and SJM Holdings (19,000).

Additional key players include Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels (7,695 employees), operator of the Peninsula brand and Regal Hotels International, which employs over 1,400 people.

These companies form a major part of Hong Kong’s service-driven economy and continue to recover strongly post-pandemic.

France

Accor S.A., headquartered in Paris, is France’s largest hotel employer with approximately 19,198 employees worldwide.

It operates brands like Sofitel, Novotel, Ibis and Pullman, spanning luxury to economy tiers.

Smaller French operators such as Covivio Hotels contribute additional employment within Europe, though their teams are much smaller.

Accor’s asset-light strategy has helped maintain global reach with a lean workforce, consistent with European hospitality models.

Spain

Spain’s hospitality sector features Meliá Hotels International and NH Hotel Group as its two largest employers.

Meliá employs about 18,280 people, while NH Hotel Group adds another 13,618, bringing Spain’s major hotel workforce to over 31,000.

Both companies are deeply integrated into Spain’s tourism economy, with strong presences across the Mediterranean and Latin America.

Their workforces reflect a balanced focus on resort, urban and conference hospitality, making Spain one of Europe’s top tourism employers.

United Kingdom

The U.K.’s largest hotel employer is Whitbread plc, owner of Premier Inn, employing around 31,613 people.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) follows with 12,587 employees across brands such as Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Kimpton.

Both Whitbread and IHG embody the U.K.’s “asset-light” model — operating large networks through management contracts rather than direct ownership.

Together, they employ over 44,000 workers, representing one of the largest hospitality labor markets in Europe.

Macau

Macau’s hospitality market centers on integrated resort operators. MGM China Holdings leads with approximately 11,786 employees, followed closely by Wynn Macau (11,300).

Both are major employers within the city’s casino-hotel ecosystem.

Other employers, such as Galaxy Entertainment Group and SJM Holdings, while headquartered in Hong Kong, maintain large workforces in Macau’s hotel and gaming industry.

Together, Macau’s hospitality sector employs tens of thousands, critical to the local economy’s reliance on tourism and entertainment.

Japan

Japan’s leading hotel employers are Oriental Land Co., operator of Tokyo Disney Resort hotels, with 9,719 employees and Resorttrust, which employs roughly 8,404.

These companies reflect Japan’s mix of leisure-focused and luxury-membership hospitality models.

Other notable Japanese employers include Fujita Kanko, which operates the Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo and other properties, employing over 1,500 people.

Japan’s hotel sector is increasingly focused on high-service domestic travel, with slow but steady employment growth post-2023.

India

India’s hotel employment landscape is led by Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) — the group behind the Taj, Vivanta and SeleQtions brands — with approximately 18,359 employees.

IHCL remains one of Asia’s most influential hospitality employers due to its extensive domestic portfolio and expanding international presence.

Additional major players include EIH Limited (9,105 employees), operator of Oberoi and Trident hotels and Delta Corp (3,286 employees), which contributes significantly to hotel and resort employment in Goa and other tourism hubs.

The table below compiles the leading hotel employers across the countries discussed, offering a concise overview of workforce size by company and country/region.

Country/Region	Company	Employee count
United States	Marriott International	418,000
United States	Hilton Worldwide	181,000
Malaysia	Genting Berhad	54,000
France	Accor S.A.	19,423
Spain	Meliá Hotels International	18,280
China	Huazhu Hotels Group	28,502
Hong Kong	Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts	26,100
United Kingdom	IHG Hotels & Resorts	12,587
Macau	MGM China Holdings	11,786
Japan	Oriental Land Co., Ltd.	9,719
India	Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL)	18,359

With the major employers in each country outlined above, it becomes easier to see how hotel employment is distributed on a global scale.

The following chart summarizes this data by region, highlighting how much of the world’s hotel workforce is concentrated in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Note: Several major hotel operators in the Middle East do not publicly report their employee counts in annual filings.
Since this section relies on verified workforce numbers for accurate comparisons, these companies were excluded from the regional breakdown and chart.

Most Common Hotel Roles

Most hotel employees work in front-line operational positions that directly shape the guest experience. These include:

Housekeeping, responsible for room preparation, cleanliness and comfort
Front desk and guest services, managing check-ins, inquiries and guest relations
Food and beverage staff, such as Servers, Bartenders and Cooks
Maintenance and engineering teams, ensuring facilities remain safe and functional
Management and administrative staff, overseeing operations, staffing and financial performance

Together, these roles form the foundation of hotel operations, blending service, logistics and management to deliver a seamless experience for guests across all property types.

As demand for travel continues to rise, the need for these positions has grown steadily across the United States and other major markets.

The chart below illustrates how employment in the U.S. hospitality sector has rebounded since 2023, reflecting the ongoing recovery and expansion of hotel jobs nationwide.

Wages for Common Hotel Roles

Median annual wages for common hotel roles vary widely, reflecting the gap between front-line service positions and management-level jobs.

The chart below illustrates how compensation differs across key departments in the U.S. hospitality sector.

Supporting stats:

Median hourly wage for Bartenders: $16.12
Wage growth (2020–2024): +37.9% for Bartenders, +39.6% for waitstaff in NYC
Over 75% of front-line hospitality workers earn below $45,350/year

Despite rising pay, recruitment challenges remain, particularly in high-cost destinations such as New York, London and Hong Kong.

Staffing Shortages

Even as travel demand rebounds, many hotels continue to face persistent labor shortages, particularly in housekeeping, food and beverage service and front desk positions.

Industry estimates indicate that the hotel and hospitality sector is still operating with 5–8% fewer workers than in pre-pandemic years, leaving thousands of openings unfilled across major U.S. and international markets.

Competition for skilled service employees has intensified, prompting hotels to raise wages significantly.

In many urban centers, average hourly pay has increased by 30–40% between 2020 and 2024, especially for front-line roles such as Servers and Bartenders.

Despite these adjustments, staffing gaps remain most acute in high-traffic destinations where demand outpaces hiring capacity.

Methodology

All data presented in this article is based on publicly available and verifiable statistics from 2024–2025, including corporate filings, government databases and trusted hospitality industry reports.

Employment figures were drawn directly from each company’s most recent annual reports or audited financial statements.

For organizations that do not publicly disclose workforce totals (such as Huazhu, Meliá and IHG), data from the CompaniesMarketCap 2024 dataset was used to ensure consistency and reliability.

Information on hotel roles, wage levels and employment trends was compiled from official labor statistics and industry-wide wage analyses, reflecting the most current market conditions.