Case Study: Hilton accelerates development of top hotel managers with CEB Talent Assessment

Hilton - Customer Case Study

Hilton International, a global full‑service hotel chain with thousands of properties worldwide, faced stiff competition for top graduates and needed to dramatically shorten the typical 15–20 year path to international hotel general manager. The challenge was to redesign recruitment and development so the company could identify, select and fast‑track high‑potential managers who would meet business objectives sooner.

Partnering with CEB Talent Assessment and other consultants, Hilton launched the “Elevator Programme”: a competency‑based recruitment overhaul that introduced a scoreable application, a demanding 24‑hour high‑realism assessment centre, and an 18‑month focused development plan for successful candidates. The result was a pipeline of hires performing well above expectations, progressing rapidly, earning positive feedback from stakeholders, and prompting regional roll‑out across Hilton’s markets.

Hilton

Maria Bannon

Project Director