There is a growing need to source for and retain qualified workers in the hospitality industry in Kenya. The creation of job satisfaction in the jobs themselves and motivation techniques is important for sustainable development in the labor market. Employees are fundamental components for hospitality entities to achieve their objectives of service delivery. The purpose of this study was to identify factors which influence job characteristics and employee work motivation in the hospitality industry. The study was undertaken at Sarova Panafric hotel, Nairobi. The research study was guided by the following objectives: to identify the factors that influence job characteristics on work motivation in the hospitality industry; to establish the effects of task significance on employee work motivation in the hospitality industry; to assess the effects of skills variety on employee work motivation in the hospitality industry; to investigate the influence of feedback from job on employee work motivation in the hospitality industry and to assess the effects of task identity on employee work motivation in the hospitality industry. Descriptive research design was used and a total sample of 31 out of 100 hotel employees filled the questionnaires. The analysis. Job characteristics theory by Hackman and Oldham (1975) and Hertzberg's two factor motivation theory formed the basis of this study. The findings of this study helped hotel managers facing high staff turnover and high absenteeism in hotels to properly design jobs and motivate employees to retain quality staff. From the findings, variety of skills, task identity, autonomy and feedback were found to affect the motivation of employees, while task significance did not significantly affect employee motivation. The study recommends that job characteristics be considered in planning and evaluation of employees’ jobs, motivation and performance respectively. Increased freedom in decision making and job rotation were cited as some of the ways in which firms in the catering industry could increase employees’ motivation and consequently their performance. Key words: Job Characteristics, Work Motivation