Hilton CHRO Laura Fuentes: AI fuels 12,000 applicants for 72 internships

Hilton's early-career programs have grown extraordinarily selective. Its two-year rotational program Launch received 5,000 applications over just a few weeks for only 20 open positions in its 2026 cycle, a 0.4% acceptance rate. The internship path is similarly cutthroat, with 12,000 applicants for 72 slots this year. Hilton is already seeing almost 15,000 applications for its next early-career cohort, and the window to apply closes in under a week.

The dynamic Fuentes describes is a direct consequence of AI in the application process. Candidates can now tailor resumes and cover letters quickly, which increases the number of roles they can pursue. But that same ease means thousands of others are doing the same, and recruiters at the $68 billion hotel chain say the resulting volume is nearly impossible to manage. Fuentes calls it a double-edged sword: friction has been removed for applicants, but they also become victims of the increased volume.

Fuentes's advice to be selective and show authentic interest points to a hiring market where standing out may depend less on volume and more on genuine engagement. Whether that approach actually helps candidates break through when recruiters are overwhelmed is the open question. For Hilton, the challenge is managing a pipeline that AI has made both larger and harder to sort.