Hilton received 12,000 Gen Z applications for just 72 internship spots—its CHRO says AI has made the hospitality gigs more competitive

Gen Zers are turning their tassels and sending out hundreds of applications hoping for their first break. Hospitality giant Hilton has seen a tidal wave of young candidates flood its inbox—and in the AI era, getting selected is even rarer than getting into Harvard University. 

Hilton’s early career program Launch has become so competitive that landing a spot is harder than getting into an Ivy League college. For its 2026 cycle, it received 5,000 applications over just a few weeks for only 20 open positions, meaning only 0.4% were accepted into the cohort.

For the first 10 months of the two-year rotation in McLean, Virginia, the young professionals work in a key corporate area, strengthening their business, analytics, and tech skills. They also spend three months learning hotel operations and the guest experience at one of Hilton’s worldwide properties before cycling back into another 10-month corporate rotation.

Laura Fuentes, Hilton’s chief human resources officer, tells Fortune that the program is designed to give young workers a broad view of the business while setting them up for long-term careers. After their successful two-year immersion into the business, Launch........

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