This study aims to analyse the mechanisms through which high performance work systems (HPWSs) affect employee job satisfaction in hospitality firms. A sample of 202 hotel employees working on Gran Canaria (Spain) was surveyed, and partial least squares structural equation modelling was applied to analyse the data. The results confirmed both the direct positive effect of HPWSs on job satisfaction and the indirect effect through a reduction in burnout. This study provides the first evidence of burnout as a mediating mechanism in the so-called black box that relates HPWSs to employee outcomes in the context of tourism and hospitality, and it contributes to the field with important theoretical contributions, as well as managerial recommendations.