Lack of affordable housing is making it harder for Marbella hotels to recruit staff

Marbella’s tourism growth is running into an increasingly difficult problem: finding workers who can afford to live close to their jobs. Senior figures from some of the city’s best-known hotels say the lack of affordable housing has become one of the biggest obstacles to recruiting and retaining staff.

The issue featured prominently at the Gran Debate Hotelero Costa del Sol, held on 8 October at the Les Roches Marbella campus.

Representatives from Don Carlos, Marbella Club and Kimpton Los Monteros agreed that housing and mobility are increasingly affecting the day-to-day operation of the sector.

Working in Marbella but living in Málaga

One of the clearest consequences is the distance many employees now have to travel every day.

The general manager of Don Carlos Marbella, Jorge Manzur, said that this season some members of staff were living in Málaga city because finding accommodation in Marbella, Istán or Ojén had become too expensive.

For younger employees or those at the beginning of their careers, meeting current housing costs can be especially difficult.

That means some hotel job offers are becoming less attractive even when candidates are interested in working in the sector.

The problem is no longer only about salary

At Marbella Club, general manager Julián Cabanillas stressed that the issue can no longer be analysed purely in terms of pay.

Even when companies improve salary conditions, workers still face limited housing supply and high rents.

As a result, some professionals choose jobs closer to home rather than commuting to Marbella every day.

For a sector where experience and staff continuity have a direct impact on service quality, that creates an additional challenge.

Affordable housing is becoming essential for retaining talent

The general manager of Kimpton Los Monteros Marbella, Merry Antoja, called for more affordable housing for workers.

In her view, infrastructure in a tourism destination should not only be designed around how visitors arrive.

It must also make it easier for people working in hotels, restaurants and other services to reach their jobs.

Housing and mobility are therefore becoming two closely connected issues.

A problem that can limit hotel growth

The issue is particularly important because Marbella continues to attract hotel investment.

Recent years have brought renovations, repositioning of established properties and new openings linked to the luxury segment.

That also means demand for skilled workers will continue to increase.

If the number of hotel rooms keeps growing while employees find it increasingly difficult to live nearby, the imbalance could become more severe.

Hotel managers themselves acknowledge that staff availability could eventually limit the sector’s growth.

Hotels increasingly need specialised profiles

Marbella currently competes in a high-end tourism market where personalised service plays a central role.

Hotels need waiters, chefs and housekeeping staff, but also multilingual receptionists, wellness specialists, experienced food and beverage professionals and people used to serving an international clientele.

Attracting that talent means offering conditions that can compete with other destinations.

Housing has therefore become an indirect part of the employment package.

The problem becomes more intense in summer

Pressure increases especially during the high season.

Hotels need to reinforce their teams at exactly the same time that demand for tourist accommodation rises.

Finding a rental for several months at an affordable price can then become particularly difficult.

This is not unique to Marbella.

Other Spanish tourism destinations, including the Balearic Islands, have also started exploring solutions for seasonal workers, including accommodation provided or rented by hotel companies.

A long-standing concern for the sector

The concern is not new.

In previous years, Marbella hotels had already warned that accommodation difficulties were reducing the number of professionals willing to relocate to the Costa del Sol.

The issue especially affects people arriving from other provinces for seasonal work.

In 2024, trade union representatives estimated that a significant number of tourism workers on the Costa del Sol would need accommodation during the summer season.

Rents have risen sharply

Pressure on the housing market helps explain the problem.

Recent housing analysis in Marbella points to major increases over the past few years.

One 2026 estimate by Panorama Properties placed the average rent for an 80-square-metre home at around €1,600 per month in 2025, compared with approximately €848 in 2019.

That means prices have almost doubled in six years.

For younger workers or employees on average salaries, those figures are very difficult to manage without sharing accommodation or living in another municipality.

Mobility does not always provide an easy solution

Living outside Marbella may reduce housing costs, but it creates another problem: commuting.

Congestion on the A-7 and travel times at peak hours can turn relatively short journeys into lengthy daily trips.

For staff working early, late or split shifts, public transport is not always a practical alternative either.

That is why hotel managers insist that housing and mobility need to be addressed together.

Retaining staff is becoming as important as recruiting them

Housing instability also affects how long employees stay in their jobs.

Someone commuting daily from Málaga, Estepona or another town may eventually choose a position closer to home.

That increases staff turnover and forces hotels to repeat recruitment and training processes.

For luxury properties, where knowledge of guests and accumulated experience are especially valuable, retaining staff can be just as important as finding them.

The risk of losing young people from the sector

Hotel directors are also concerned about younger workers.

Starting a career in hospitality often means entering through junior positions with lower salaries than those earned by experienced professionals.

If that is combined with very high housing costs, building a long-term career in Marbella can become difficult.

The sector fears that some young people may end up seeing hotel work only as a temporary job rather than a long-term profession.

More hotels will mean more workers

The pressure could increase further in the coming years.

Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara have new hotel projects, refurbishments and high-end developments that will expand the municipality’s accommodation capacity.

Every new opening means recruiting dozens or even hundreds of professionals.

The challenge will be ensuring that tourism growth is accompanied by conditions that allow those workers to live reasonably close to their jobs.

The other Marbella challenge: winter

The hotel debate also addressed another issue: reducing seasonality.

Business leaders believe Marbella needs to strengthen its offer during quieter tourism months.

Among the proposals is increasing the municipality’s ability to attract congresses, business meetings and major events in autumn and winter.

Julián Cabanillas argued for a more ambitious conference and exhibition centre.

The goal of creating a “winter Marbella”

Merry Antoja summarised the challenge by calling for a real “winter Marbella”.

The idea is to generate enough activity throughout the year so hotels, restaurants and other businesses can maintain more stable jobs.

European destinations such as Cannes use conferences, festivals and professional events to offset lower visitor numbers during the off-season.

Marbella wants to strengthen a similar strategy.

Housing, mobility and tourism are now part of the same problem

The debate leaves one clear conclusion: Marbella’s tourism future does not depend only on building new hotels or attracting higher-spending visitors.

It also depends on whether the people working in those hotels can actually build their lives in or around the destination.

The shortage of affordable housing, mobility problems and rising demand for skilled staff are now all part of the same challenge.

For hotel operators, solving that equation will be essential if Marbella wants to keep growing without weakening the quality of service that supports much of its international reputation.