A new game hosted on Facebook is claiming to be the first social media game that focuses on employee engagement and talent acquisition.

The My Marriott Hotel game, developed for Marriott International by Evviva Brands, is a kitchen management game that aims to provide insight into what it’s like working in a Marriott kitchen.

The game is part of Marriott’s global talent acquisition strategy. By using Facebook to host the game, Marriott and Evviva believe that their access to emerging markets will be enhanced.

“We need to find new ways to attract Millenials – those between ages 18 and 27 – to our workforce and interest them in hospitality careers,” says David Rodriguez, executive vice-president of global human resources for Marriott International.

“This game allows us to showcase the world of opportunities and the growth potential attainable in hospitality careers, especially in cultures where the service industry might be less established or prestigious.”

Although perhaps the first social media-utilising employee engagement and recruitment game in the hospitality industry, My Marriott Hotel bears some resemblance to poweRBrands, the recruitment and engagement-focused Facebook game developed by Reckitt Benckiser in 2010 aimed at graduates and undergraduates aged 18-30.

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• Play Time - Social Media Solutions (Communicate magazine, July 2010)