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PEOPLE FIRST - GABRIEL CÁNAVES, CHRO, MELIÁ HOTELS INTERNATIONAL: "THE HUMAN FACTOR OF SERVICE WILL BE CONSIDERED A LUXURY IN ITSELF"
In our "People First" series, human resources leaders share insights on recruitment and retention strategies. |
Category: - Careers
- Interviews and portraits
- Career - Interviews
Interview made by Sonia Taourghi on Thursday 30 October 2025
 Gabriel Cánaves, Chief Human Resources Officer, Meliá Hotels International
Photo credit © Meliá Hotels International
Gabriel Cánaves, Meliá Hotels International's Chief Human Resources Officer, answers our questions about recruitment, the onboarding process, and career development and gives key advice for a successful career in luxury hospitality.
Journal des Palaces: Can you tell us more about your recruitment process?
Gabriel Cánaves: This starts long before the interview stage. The Key is to attract talented candidates eager to grow in the hospitality profession. We rely on Employer Branding experts, who, together with our Marketing team, create campaigns across all major social media and recruitment channels to effectively and intentionally target desired audiences.
Meliá has been awarded for its Employer Branding. Our campaign, Very Inspiring People, has generated an increase of more than 10,000 in CV traffic and a rise of more than 8% in our Engagement rate on LinkedIn in just one year.
How do you integrate new talent?
Starting from the moment someone accepts employment with our company, we implement a pre-boarding strategy. This ensures candidates have all the information they need and the opportunity to gain brand awareness before starting, making their first day a more friendly and welcoming experience.
This onboarding process continues throughout their first weeks, then transitions into our Meliá Service Promise and Brand Service Culture training.
This training focuses on the Service Vocation we and our customers expect, and is one of our company’s key values that drives our business day to day.
What kind of career development programs do you offer?
We offer a range of development programs that provide growth opportunities to support associates at various stages of their professional development.
We have training for line staff who wish to cross-train in another department and learning programs for supervisors. We also offer comprehensive head of department programs that address leadership and people management skills. Furthermore, our General Manager Assessment Centre and Career Paths develop department managers into hotel leadership roles, while our Talent Pools support corporate managers in preparing them for the next step as Directors.
There is something within reach for everybody who is a high performer and has at least one year of permanence in the company.
What internal mobility opportunities do you offer?
The world is your oyster. With more than 370 hotels across 40 countries and corporate offices spanning multiple continents, Meliá Hotels International offers countless opportunities to grow professionally.
We especially encourage the international mobility of our hotel leadership teams, as we strongly believe in promoting internal talent. Leaders who already have experience within Meliá bring a deep understanding of our company values, which they can share and reinforce with teams across different countries.
We also make sure to share all available job openings internally, so our team members can apply and access new opportunities within the company. We are committed to nurturing talent from within and supporting career development in a global, diverse, and dynamic environment.
What would be your best advice to succeed in luxury hospitality?
Firstly, understand what the new generation of luxury consumers expect and how to deliver this service. Prepare yourself. Carry out training in luxury standards and really focus on service that offers the hyper-personalisation that the customers are demanding today.
In the future, the human factor of service will be considered a luxury in itself. Along with the anticipated 8% growth in the luxury hospitality market, there will be strong demand for candidates who genuinely understand the luxury business.
What human qualities are you looking for in talent?
Attitude. A candidate with an excellent attitude is fundamental. Additionally, they need to have a passion for people, integrity, and a focus on service vocation, which is the reason behind everything we do. Technical knowledge can be taught, but connecting with customers and colleagues is an art and essential in the hospitality business.
What key measures are in place to enhance your company culture?
We are one of the first hotel chains in Europe with a department dedicated solely to promoting and evolving the culture and values within the business. Our Values model is at the centre of everything we do and the base for all the tools we use in Human Resources. We have a homogenous and simple culture based on the values of Innovation, Proximity, Excellence, and Consistency. At the heart of everything is Service Vocation, as the Customer is the reason to be.
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