Few industries feel the impact of employee turnover as acutely as hospitality. According to the Staffing Agency’s 2025 Hospitality Labor Report, restaurants and hotels report annual turnover rates of 70-80%, making staffing one of the industry’s most persistent operational challenges.
Because service quality at hotels, resorts, restaurants and entertainment venues depends heavily on the people delivering the experience, these staffing gaps create constant pressure on operators to recruit and train new staff. However, new hires require time, supervision and training before they can operate efficiently, effectively and independently.
As a result, hospitality brands are turning to mobile technology to help get new hires up to speed quickly, and many are finding measurable success. Here’s how.
Mobile onboarding gains traction
One solution gaining momentum in hospitality is mobile onboarding. This means equipping employees with mobile devices and tablets like the latest Galaxy S26 Series and Galaxy Tab S11, which provide immediate access to the tools, training and information they need to perform their jobs.
Rather than relying solely on classroom sessions or shadowing shifts, mobile onboarding for hospitality teams allows new hires to access training materials directly from a handheld device. Operating procedures, service guidelines and workflows are available on demand, so employees can learn while actively performing their roles.
This approach aligns with hospitality workforce demographics, too. Many employees entering restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues today are digital natives who grew up navigating mobile apps, messaging platforms and digital workflows. Providing onboarding tools through a mobile interface allows businesses to meet employees where they already work and communicate. Instead of waiting until an employee has fully memorized processes, organizations can give them real-time guidance when questions and issues arise.
Mobile onboarding also increases consistency. Training materials and operational procedures can be standardized across locations, ensuring employees receive the same information regardless of where or when they start.
How mobile devices increase new hire productivity
Mobile tools can dramatically shorten the time it takes for new hires to become productive. Instead of navigating multiple systems or waiting for accounts to be set up, new hires can log in and access the tools they need from day one. Tasks like completing checklists, troubleshooting operational issues and organizing their schedule become part of the daily workflow rather than separate onboarding activities.
For hospitality roles that require flexibility and mobility — floor managers moving between dining areas or hotel staff coordinating across a multi-building property, for example — form factors matter. Devices like Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 offer tablet-sized productivity that folds into a pocket, while Galaxy Z Flip7 gives frontline workers a compact, durable option that doesn’t get in the way of hands-on service.
Security speeds productivity, too. Samsung Knox provides built-in protection designed to safeguard sensitive data from the chip up, allowing employees to log into systems quickly and move seamlessly between them. That time saved adds up to more time spent engaging with customers.
How mobile onboarding supports employees on the floor
Hospitality operations are inherently mobile. Frontline employees often move continuously throughout their shifts when checking on guests, coordinating with colleagues and managing operational tasks across multiple spaces.
With mobile devices in hand, employees can continue to refer to training materials and reference guides long after the initial onboarding period, allowing them to refresh their skills when needed. They can also communicate and follow up with colleagues on the property more easily, wherever they are.
That includes support for everything from task management and communication to mobile point-of-sale interactions. For instance, solutions like Samsung for Point of Sale allow staff to process payments anywhere, from parking decks to poolside service areas. With around 84% of payments in the U.S. now digital, according to Clearly Payments, the ability to accept secure mobile transactions is becoming table stakes for hospitality brands.
Reducing turnover fatigue for managers
One of the most challenging aspects of frequent staff turnover is the operational fatigue it creates. Managers may find themselves repeating the same training processes week after week, while more experienced staff must step away from service responsibilities to assist new hires.
Mobile onboarding helps relieve that pressure. Centralizing training materials, operational procedures and workflows in one place creates a repeatable onboarding process that scales across teams and locations. Managers can update materials centrally to ensure the most current information is always available.
Device management tools simplify the technical side of onboarding as well. IT teams can deploy and configure devices remotely, distributing equipment to new employees already loaded with the apps and resources they need. This takes more pressure off management from day one.
Mobile onboarding builds a more resilient hospitality workforce
While turnover will likely remain a reality in hospitality, the way organizations respond to it is evolving. Operators are investing in mobile-first systems that make onboarding faster, more consistent and easier to scale across locations.
This gives new hires the confidence and clarity they need from day one, while reducing strain on the teams around them.
Learn more about how mobile devices are moving store managers from the back office to the sales floor and beyond.
