From sustainability competencies to sustainable capabilities via GHRM: Industry leaders and future professionals' perspectives in hospitality

Sustainability has become a strategic priority within the tourism industry, yet a persistent gap remains between the competencies demanded by hotel organizations and those developed in higher education. Grounded in Human Capital and Signaling Theory, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach to examine how sustainability is perceived, implemented, and valued by hotel managers, and how future professionals understand their preparation and employability in this context. Qualitative insights were obtained through five semi-structured interviews with sustainability and HR managers from hotel groups in Spain and Croatia. Complementary quantitative data were gathered from a survey of 123 tourism students, with Pearson correlations revealing relationships among perceptions of sustainability, competencies, and career expectations. Findings show that, although sustainability is increasingly embedded in hotel operations, significant shortcomings persist in workforce competencies. Managers highlight the scarcity of candidates with applied sustainability expertise and the predominance of soft skills over technical knowledge. Students exhibit strong sustainability values and recognize the importance of related competencies, but express uncertainty about the adequacy of their training. Both groups emphasize the importance of cross-level collaboration and intrinsic motivation for effective implementation. The study underscores the need to bridge the education–industry gap by fostering hybrid professional profiles that combine operational proficiency, sustainability literacy, and value-driven engagement, offering pathways to strengthen workforce readiness for sustainable transformation in hospitality.