Supplier Awards 2026: People Solution of the Year – Candid Hospitality

Candid Hospitality wowed Supplier Awards judges with the measurable impact of its ‘dating app’ for hospitality recruiters. 

The solution removes CVs, subconscious bias and admin-heavy processes in hiring, replacing them with anonymous candidate profiles, psychometric matching and a three-way compatibility engine based on culture, competencies and compensation.

Judges were impressed with how the app smooths hospitality operators’ recruitment process, with users reporting higher-quality matches than traditional boards, faster time-to-hire – with some roles completed in just 48 hours, fewer irrelevant applicants, reduced bias and better candidate experience.

Candid’s bias-free model is delivering quantifiable improvements in diversity, fairness and inclusion, with candidates aged 50+ being 25 times more likely to secure interviews than traditional routes, while 47% of progressing candidates are women and 62% identify as an ethnicity other than White British.

The platform has boosted operator efficiency, with an average of just 14 applications per role, all high-quality and pre-qualified. In fact, Candid reports a 90% reduction in irrelevant applications, based on company feedback.

Candidates too have reported a noticeable impact on their experience, with in excess of 40% of the now 10,000 candidates registered being passive talent – those not actively looking for a job – proving that anonymity unlocks previously inaccessible segments. Candidate trust is demonstrated by more than 500 of them choosing to reveal their identity for interviews.

Candid has made such a splash in hospitality HR that within 12 months of its 2024 launch, the platform grew from zero to more than 110 employers, including Loungers, Honest Burgers, Bills, Big Table Group, Megans and Turtle Bay.

The last year has seen the software firm redouble its efforts to engage with potential hires, deploying creative grassroots campaigns, community engagement and employer-led content, all designed to build trust in an emerging category and attract both passive and active talent.

With social media campaigns showing ‘anonymous job searching in action’, Candid’s strategy has reduced operators’ cost per candidate acquisition to just £1.50, a real boost when spend is so restricted in the current market conditions.

Together, all of Candid’s endeavours demonstrate not just platform growth, but significant, measurable impact across recruitment efficiency, fairness, diversity, equality and inclusion outcomes and workforce development in the hospitality sector. It’s no wonder that judges felt the app was the standout winner of the People Solution of the Year award.

Judges’ comment

“Candid Hospitality delivers a standout, bias-free hiring solution that boosts diversity, accelerates recruitment and elevates candidate experience. Its measurable impact, innovative approach and clear operational gains driving meaningful, sector wide improvement in hospitality workforce management.”

Harry Ridley, head of technology, Levy (Compass)

The shortlist

• BioVate Hygienics

• Candid Hospitality

• Hire Intelligence