Hotels Try to Maneuver Past Labor Shortage
Photo Caption: A hotel front desk employee as seen from a clip in the 2019 Hilton Hotels & Resorts Manifesto.
Skift Take
Although hotel CEOs did their best to be optimistic, the industry is plagued by post-pandemic issues never seen before.
The hotel industry is at times taking a creative approach to the nagging labor shortage in the face of pent-up demand, and the possibility of a looming recession.
The crunch occurs even as U.S. hotels are expected to employ 2.19 million people – or 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels — as demand surges, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
One of the ways Remington Hotels contends with the labor issue, said Sloan Dean, CEO and president, is by creating a new pay model. “We have people working 20-hour work weeks filling the gap,” he said.
Other hotel execs, who attended the 44th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York Tuesday, also stressed the importance of attracting Generation Z to the industry.
The Margaritaville, Florida lodging industry works with colleges to train hospitality students and many become full-time employees in the h
