Speculation continues to swirl around the lodging industry regarding the likelihood of a slowdown beginning as early as 2020. Fueled by panels at industry conferences and commentary in the trade press, questions remain as to how widespread and long lasting such a downturn might be.

Given the industry is essentially cyclical, an eventual downturn appears to be more or less inevitable, although the next contraction will follow an unusually extended period of growth and profitability.

Complicating the industry situation is the strength of the national — and even global — economy, along with consumer confidence, employment data and the impact of ongoing trade wars, all in light of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

A recurring theme at the Hotel Data Conference sponsored by STR this summer had to do with employee recruitment and retention in light of a downturn. While it’s true during periods of expansion as well as contraction, the famous dictum attributed to J.W. Marriott Jr. is especially true during downturns: “If you take care of your associates, they’ll take care of your guests.”

Well-looked-after guests result in higher guest satisfaction scores and more positive reviews on social media, which typically translate into more repeat bookings, increased trial usage due to positive word of mouth, higher occupancy and greater profits.

Consider the challenge of finding and hiring people with strong interpersonal skills. The most promising approach is to seek applicants who consider entry-level hotel jobs to be a stepping stone to a career in hospitality.

Considering that international travelers are likely to remain a reliable guest segment in many markets, downturn or not, it makes sense for hotels to pursue multicultural candidates who can help communicate with guests in their languages of choice.

Providing training is essential to retaining motivated employees because it helps satisfy their desire to pursue a career path. Cross-training is a good option because it not only satisfies the employee expectations but expands their ability to handle new and different tasks on property.