PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate US lodging properties’ organizational employee‐retention initiatives and practices, and to examine the impact of those initiatives on employee turnover and retention.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Directory of Hotel & Lodging Companies, a convenient sample group of 24 management companies are selected. A self‐administered mail survey instrument is developed to measure and test organizational initiatives and practices on employee turnover and retention. Using SPSS 16.0, two statistical tests are employed to test study hypotheses. Correlation analysis is used to identify the relationships between predictor and response variables. Likewise, regression analysis is used to examine the relationships between predictor and response variables hypothesizing that the effectiveness of practicing the human resource management organizational initiatives on management and non‐management retention and turnover will differ.FindingsThe findings reveal that Corporate Culture, Hiring and Promotions and Training practices influence non‐management employee retention. At the same time, Hiring and Promotion practices impact management retention, as well. Moreover, Organizational Mission, Goals and Direction, and Employee Recognition, Rewards and Compensation were found to positively reduce non‐management employee turnover.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to the study methodology and the relatively low response rate, generalization of the study findings is limited. Future replication studies are recommended.Practical implicationsThe findings will equip lodging organizations and industry professionals with the contemporary tools to proactively reduce employee turnover and for maintaining employee retention. This should have a positive impact on workforce productivity.Originality/valueThis study makes a major contribution to the relative influence of the practice of eight study‐defined organizational initiatives on turnover in lodging businesses.

This study examines the effect of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) on managers’ lodging success: human resources management, marketing, financial management, and information technology. The investigation determined that knowledge perceived as important for management success differs from actual KSAs that distinguish senior-level executives from their subordinate middle-level counter-parts. The findings revealed that managers placed highest importance on and were most skilled in human resources management competencies. However, knowledge in financial management appeared to be a stronger indicator of top-level success. Underscoring the importance of financial knowledge was the finding that of all the KSAs being studied, only financial management had a significant, positive relationship with increased compensation. Moreover, financial management appeared to be a key to promotion to top-level positions. The implication of these findings is that educators, trainers, and would-be top executives should pay attention to financial management by ensuring that educational institutions and training programs provide proper coverage of financial techniques and analyses.

This study identified the hospitality-management competencies considered essential for success in today's F&B, front-desk, and sales departments, and the degree to which those skills and talents are actually used by entry-and mid-level managers. Specifically, it recorded three types of essential competencies (ECs): those that are necessary for any of the six job positions studied, those that are necessary for more than one job position but not all of them, and those that are used only by a specific type of manager doing a specific job (e.g., a mid-level F&B manager). The skills identified as essential for all the managers studied included: recognizing customer problems; portraying enthusiasm; maintaining professional and ethical standards; cultivating a climate of trust; and adapting creatively to change. By contrast, the skills that were among those identified with a single job description included: managing individual employee performance; setting goals to carry out the organization's mission and objectives; knowing about selling techniques; and mastering forecasting reports. When asked whether the ECs are actually being used effectively, managers' superiors generally reported that the managers were performing adequately in each competency and domain area.

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