Independent Hotel Show London 2022 Automation and Workforce Strategy Redefine the Cost Model

On day two, the Hotel Vision Stage filled to capacity for How Do We Fill the Hole in Hospitality Staffing? Principal Andrew Boer of Edge Hotel School opened with a blunt slide: UK hospitality vacancies peaked at 180,000 in August 2022—double the 2019 average. “Complacency and lack of investment are haunting us,” he warned.

Three panellists proposed overlapping fixes. Sandra Kelly outlined a Hospitality Skills Passport that tags staff credentials in blockchain, slashing HR vetting time by five days; pilot sites reported £430 savings per hire. Veryan Palmer shared headline results from a four-day-week experiment at The Headland, Cornwall: payroll costs rose 1.8 percent, but turnover fell 12 points and Upsell revenue grew as well-rested staff converted more spa bookings. Greg Fruchenicht described working with Saira Hospitality in Mexico, training refugees to fill back-of-house roles with 92 percent retention after 12 months.

Meanwhile, the Concept Lab focused on tech offsets. Ezisan’s ozone-based mist unit sterilises a bathroom in 30 seconds, saving an estimated 3.5 housekeeping minutes per stay. RoomPriceGenie demonstrated a “two-tap” RMS install that adjusts rates every two hours; a Lake District test site saw an 11.2 percent lift in room revenue within six weeks. At the Business Solutions Bar, HOSPA chief Jane Pendlebury urged owners to start with revenue engines: “Let the software pay for itself before you tackle full-stack property-management.”

Capital ideas flowed in the networking lounge. A Midlands-based owner described wrapping a £180 k robot deployment into a sale-and-manage-back refinancing; a PE fund from the Netherlands disclosed performance earn-outs giving GMs 15 percent of labour-cost savings at exit. With SONIA topping 5 percent, such structures free cash for higher interest cover.

A back-test presented by Edge Hotel School showed a 60-key hotel saving £10 labour per stay (via robotics and scheduling software) could add £120 k EBITDA annually. At a 10× multiple, that lifts valuation by £1.2 m—enough to repay the automation lease twice over.

Key learnings

1. Quantify each job task before automating; seconds shaved compound across thousands of departures.
2. Tie new technology to human upside—flexible rosters or learning credits—else staff morale offsets productivity gains.
3. Lease or subscription-finance robotics; treat them as opex to stay nimble if better hardware appears.
4. Install revenue-management software first; the uplift can self-fund deeper integration and staff bonuses.
5. Publish automation results in recruitment ads—proof of tech investment now attracts talent as strongly as salary.