Seasonal hospitality work in Spain: complete guide for summer 2026

Spain is the world's second most visited tourist destination and the hotel and restaurant industry is the backbone of that economy. Every summer, the Spanish coast needs between 250,000 and 350,000 additional hospitality workers to cover peak season demand. If you want to be one of them, here is everything you need to organise.

When the season starts and ends

• Balearics: May–October. Easter start at some venues, full close in October–November.
• Costa del Sol and Almería: long season, April–November.
• Catalonia: June–September mainly.
• Valencia and Alicante: Easter–October.
• Cantabrian coast: July–September. Shorter but growing year on year.

Most in-demand positions in summer

1. Waiter/waitress — the most demanded of all
2. Line cook — chronic shortage; those with this profile can choose where to go
3. Hotel housekeeper — high hotel demand, fixed-discontinuous contract common
4. Receptionist with English — hotels look for language profiles from December
5. Bartender — high demand at beach clubs and nightlife areas
6. Entertainment staff — essential at resorts and all-inclusive hotels

When to look for summer work

• December–January: reference venues look for key profiles. If you have a differential profile, this is your window.
• February–March: the main hiring wave. Most seasonal staff is contracted in these 6–8 weeks.
• April–May: last-minute contracts, basic profiles or replacements.

On Yemplea you can filter offers by area and venue type. Create your free profile and activate alerts for the positions you're interested in. The first summer season offers start appearing in January.