In many hotels, pay is decided interview by interview: whoever negotiates well or starts at a tight moment earns more than a colleague doing the same job. That works until someone finds out, or until a candidate drops out because the offer comes late and vague. A fixed pay band per role makes hiring faster and explaining pay easier. Here is how to set one up without a large consulting project.
21 October 2026
Without fixed pay bands, you decide afresh what to offer every new candidate. That takes time, creates differences between colleagues doing the same work and makes it hard to say anything concrete about pay in a job ad or first interview. A band per role gives managers a framework, so they can make an offer faster and explain it. It also stops you from structurally overpaying new people in a tight market while forgetting your existing team.
The floor is usually fixed. In many European countries hospitality is covered by a collective agreement with pay tables per job grade; where there is none, the statutory minimum wage applies in any case. Check which arrangement applies to your hotel, which grade each role belongs to and whether it includes age or experience steps. Your own band may sit higher, never lower. If in doubt, ask your payroll provider or employers' association.
For each role, list what every employee earns, converted to an hourly rate or a full-time amount, together with their years of service and relevant experience. You will quickly see differences you cannot explain, such as a new receptionist earning more than a colleague with three years' experience. You do not have to fix those differences in one go, but you need to know them before you set a band.
You do not need an expensive survey for market data. Look at job ads from comparable hotels in your region that state pay, ask staffing partners what they pay for the same roles and note the reasons candidates give when they turn down an offer. Exit interviews also show whether pay is a reason for leaving. Only compare like with like: the same region, the same type of contract and similar hours. A city hotel and a seaside resort operate in different labour markets.
A band per individual employee is not a band. Group roles of similar weight and responsibility, for example: entry-level roles such as kitchen porter and room attendant, operational skilled roles such as commis, receptionist and waiting staff, experienced skilled roles such as chef de partie and night auditor, and management roles such as supervisor and head of department. Different considerations often apply to that last group; see recruiting supervisors and department heads.
Give each role group a minimum, a midpoint and a maximum. The minimum is the starting rate for someone who still has to learn the job, the midpoint is for someone who performs the role fully and independently, and the maximum is for experienced staff who do more than the basics, such as training new colleagues. Bands for operational roles are usually narrower than for management roles. If the bands of two groups overlap heavily, promotion is hardly worth it financially.
Agree in advance which criteria determine the starting position: proven experience in the same role, languages the role really needs, qualifications or certificates and, for example, willingness to work fixed night shifts. Negotiating skill is not one of them. Use the same criteria for new and existing staff, or the same differences will simply reappear. See also language requirements in hotel hiring.
Base pay is only part of what someone receives. State separately which allowances apply to night, weekend and public holiday shifts, whether meals are provided on shift, what you reimburse for travel and whether housing is available and at what cost. Tips and service charge do not belong in the band; in many countries they do not count towards the minimum wage either. Candidates compare the whole package, so make it visible without obscuring the base pay.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive (EU 2023/970) had to be transposed into national law by June 2026. Two parts affect hiring directly: candidates are entitled to information on the starting pay or its range before the interview, and you may not ask about their pay with a previous employer. Not every country made the deadline and the details differ, so check the current rules in your country. If you already have fixed bands, you can comply without extra work.
State the range for the role in the job ad, or at least the starting rate, together with hours and allowances. That filters early and saves interviews with candidates who would later drop out over pay. The offer then states the specific amount within the band and the reason for that position. Read more in the job ad for hotel roles and making a job offer to a hotel candidate.
A band that has not been adjusted for three years works against you. Plan one fixed moment each year, for example as part of next year's staffing plan, and include collective agreement increases, minimum wage changes and new market data. Also look at which vacancies stayed open for long or where candidates dropped out over pay. When a band rises, adjust the pay of your existing team as well, so new colleagues do not come in above experienced staff.
• Do you know which collective agreement or minimum wage sets the floor for each role?
• Have you listed what staff in each role earn today, with experience and years of service?
• Do you have market data from your own region, for the same type of contract?
• Are roles grouped into a limited number of role groups?
• Does each group have a minimum, midpoint and maximum, with enough difference between groups?
• Is it set out which criteria decide the starting position in the band?
• Are allowances, meals, travel costs and housing named separately?
• Do you know what the pay transparency rules in your country require?
• Does every job ad state the range or the starting rate?
• Is there one fixed moment each year to review the bands and the pay of your existing team?
AXXAZ Hospitality supplies reliable hospitality staff to hotels across Europe and sees every day what candidates in different regions expect in pay, hours and allowances. The more clearly your role, hours and pay are defined, the faster we can put forward suitable candidates. This is based on a clear staffing brief. Get in touch.
Start from the collective agreement or minimum wage, map what you pay today, compare with your own region, give each role group a minimum, midpoint and maximum with fixed criteria for the starting position, name allowances separately and review the bands every year, including for your existing team.