Talent in hospitality entrepreneurship: A conceptualization and research agenda [Summary]

Talent in the hospitality sector is needed to lead and motivate staff, to develop, innovate and commercialize new services and products, understand international and domestic markets, manage seasonality, co-create value, provide service quality, be hospitable, manage emotional labor whilst ensuring customer satisfaction and positive word-of mouth, and in summary, to set and renew strategic capabilities to remain competitive. Regardless of the lack of available evidence as to the future of hospitality entrepreneurship, there is no doubt that the demand for talent in the hospitality industry has diversified. This paper suggests that talented hospitality entrepreneurs need to successfully manage their own personal well-being to create long term careers. Subsequently, it is argued that talented hospitality entrepreneurs engage in self-managed careers that resist boundaries and fit into their lifestyle priorities. It is imperative that this is taken into consideration when evaluating the success of a talented hospitality entrepreneur, This paper theorizes that a definition of what is meant by talent or who defines talent for the talented hospitality entrepreneur includes: innate giftedness and inner resourcefulness, outstanding mastery and learned ability relative to their economic success and success in creating social value for both customers and communities, taking into account the entrepreneur’s own well-being and long-term career success.