Growing up, Mitch Hince didn’t know much about the wider world outside of Timmins, Ont. — only that he wanted to be part of it.

His interest in travel led him to a tourism program at Canadore College in North Bay, then on to university in New Hampshire. There, Hince heard a speaker talk about career opportunities at Marriott Hotels. Next thing he knew, the young man from a northern mining town was a restaurant supervisor at a Texas resort.

From there, Hince’s travels have taken him from Vietnam to Iceland to Dubai — and he has the Instagram account to prove it. A curious person can evolve in the hotel industry, moving from front-of-house to marketing, design and beyond, says Hince from his current home in Orlando, Florida. “I represent one of the largest revenue portfolios within Marriott’s Global Sales Organization. All of this happened within 15 years.”

Marriott encourages employees to move from one department to another to grow their skills, says Brian Cammack, regional vice-president of human resources for Marriott Hotels of Canada. “There’s definitely opportunity to start a long-lasting and rewarding career,” he says.

And the job outlook is as sunny as a dream resort. Marriott branded hotels have added thousands of employees this year, bringing its total in Canada to 25,000. “We currently have hundreds of jobs open — and we expect to hire several thousand more associates. We focus not only on a person’s work experience, but also on making their personal lives better, because we want them to stay with us.”

Marriott gives many employees opportunities to see the world through its Explore Program, which offers travel-related perks and rewards at 8,000-plus hotels worldwide. Many Marriott hotels in the Marriott portfolio of brands offer unique benefits that workers may not find elsewhere. For example, for Canadian employees who, like Hince, spend their early career with Marriott, there’s a new program to help pay off student loans.

Marriott’s Benefit of Balance initiative lets some employees adapt their schedules — to allow for a four-day workweek, for example. Location flexibility is also available in some roles: Hince has worked remotely for eight years, and his close colleagues are scattered all over the U.S.

As Hince says, Wanderlust and a desire to create great experiences for people is a perfect combination for a career in the hotel industry. “You can live and work anywhere you want, in any type of position you want.” It’s a life-changing opportunity for anyone who’s “driven, curious, always asking questions — and always learning.”

To find out more about job opportunities and employee benefits at Marriott Hotels of Canada, go to careers.marriott.com.