Booking.com Study: European Hoteliers Know They Need Digital Skills — And Still Aren't Training for Them

A large-scale study from Booking.com has put numbers to a tension that anyone watching the hospitality sector can feel: European accommodation operators know which skills their businesses will need, and they are almost entirely failing to develop them.

The research, covering roughly 5,000 tourism accommodation professionals across Europe alongside nearly 200 in-depth expert interviews conducted between June and October 2025, found stark gaps between stated future priorities and actual training investment.

On digital literacy: 82% of employers said it will be critical to their business going forward — but only 16% currently make it a training priority. The pattern holds across other competency areas. Sustainability skills were deemed critical by 87% of employers; just 11% prioritize them in training today. Sales, marketing, and revenue capability was flagged by 78% as important for the future; only 9% act on that now. Technology for efficiency and guest service was cited by 78% as increasingly important, with under a third currently dedicating training resources to it.

Among employees, the picture is complicated by overconfidence: 75% of workers report strong digital literacy, and 69% rate themselves competent in hotel digital systems. Yet 36% simultaneously cite a lack of relevant skills as a barrier to career advancement — a contradiction that suggests workers may not recognize the specific skill gaps their employers are observing.

Both sides say they are willing to bridge the gap, but under conditions. Half of employers would encourage online training if it were low-cost, high-quality, and available in local languages. Employers would commit an average of 4.6 hours per week to staff development. On the employee side, 88% would participate in online training if offered, and workers would self-invest around three hours per week on average.

"The disconnect between digital transformation needs and current training priorities cannot be ignored," a Booking.com executive said in the release.

For Booking.com, the study is also a product positioning move. The company has been developing hospitality training resources for property partners, and research underscoring an industry-wide skills crisis creates a natural opening for platform-delivered learning tools.