Christmas dinners, festive breakfasts, full rooms and a New Year’s Eve gala: late December asks a lot of your team, just when everyone wants time off too. Hotels that start planning in December pay more and get weaker candidates. Learn how to lay the groundwork in October and November for a smooth festive season.
17 October 2026
For many hotels the festive period is one of the busiest weeks of the year. At the same time your own team wants to be with family, and experienced extra staff are quickly booked by other hotels and restaurants. Hotels that know their demand in October and lock in shifts in November have a choice. Those still searching in December take whoever is left, often at higher cost and with more onboarding at the busiest moment.
Start with what you already know and make it concrete per day:
• Room occupancy: bookings and expected last-minute demand around Christmas and New Year.
• Restaurant and breakfast: Christmas dinners, brunches and a New Year’s Eve menu often need more service and kitchen staff than a normal evening.
• Banqueting and events: December company parties and any New Year’s Eve gala, including set-up and breakdown.
• Housekeeping: many same-day changeovers, especially around 27 December and 1 January.
• Reception and nights: busy arrival days and a longer night on New Year’s Eve.
Compare this with your normal staffing. The difference is the number of extra shifts you need to fill.
Resentment about who works at Christmas causes tension every year and sometimes leads to resignations. What helps:
• Ask for preferences early: let staff say in October which days they most want off.
• Use a rotation: whoever worked Christmas last year gets priority for Christmas off this year, or chooses between Christmas and New Year.
• Publish the schedule in time: staff want to make their own family plans.
• Be clear about pay: holiday and night premiums differ by country and collective agreement. Check what applies to you and communicate it clearly.
If your own team is not enough, arrange the extra cover in October or early November:
• Ask former staff and seasonal workers: people who already know your hotel can start fastest.
• Use your candidate pool: candidates who narrowly missed out earlier are sometimes happy to work a few shifts.
• Work with a partner: agree per day how many people you need, for which roles and with what experience and languages.
• Confirm in writing: put dates, times, roles and rates on paper so there are no misunderstandings in December.
An extra pair of hands who first has to find the plates on New Year’s Eve does not help much. Prepare:
• A short briefing per role: menu, service flow, till system, dress code and who is in charge.
• A fixed point of contact: one experienced colleague per shift who looks after new people.
• Practical matters in advance: access, uniform, staff meal, parking or transport, especially for late shifts after midnight.
• A short trial shift: where possible, let new people work a normal shift earlier in December.
Colds and flu peak in December. Plan for absence:
• A standby list: a few people who can step in at short notice, with clear agreements on availability.
• Cross-training: staff who can work both breakfast and banqueting give you room to move people.
• Priorities per department: decide in advance which shifts must always be covered and where you can scale back temporarily if someone drops out.
• October: estimate demand per day, collect team preferences, decide on extra needs.
• Early November: fix the holiday schedule for your own team, confirm extra staff and partner.
• Late November: prepare briefings, set up a standby list, sort out practical matters.
• December: short introduction shifts, daily check on cover and absence.
• January: review what worked and whom you want to ask again next year.
• Do you know per day and per department how many extra shifts are needed?
• Have team preferences been collected, and is the split fair and explainable?
• Will staff know the holiday schedule before the end of November?
• Are extra staff confirmed in writing with dates, times and roles?
• Is there a short briefing ready for each role?
• Is there a standby list for absence?
• Have you checked holiday premiums and rules in your country?
AXXAZ Hospitality supplies reliable hospitality staff to hotels across Europe. For the festive season we can provide extra service, kitchen, housekeeping and banqueting staff on the days your own team cannot manage alone. The earlier you share your needs, the better we can secure the right people. It all starts with a clear staffing brief. Get in touch.
Estimate demand per day now, share holiday shifts fairly, book extra staff in November and have a briefing and a standby list ready before December starts.