Surveyed Hotels Indicate Staff Shortages At Rate Of 87 Percent

According to responses given by new members to a poll conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), practically all hotels are having problems filling open positions with qualified employees.

In the study, eighty-seven percent (87%) of respondents reported that they are currently dealing with a personnel shortfall, with 36% indicating that the shortage is severe. According to 43% of those who participated in the survey, the most crucial position that needs to be filled is that of a housekeeper.

In May, 97% of respondents to an AHLA member poll stated they were short-staffed, with 49% saying they were extremely short-staffed, and 58% rating housekeeping as their worst difficulty. These statistics are marginally better than what they were in May.

91% of hotels report that they are still unable to fill available jobs, despite the fact that they are providing prospective employees a plethora of incentives in the form of higher compensation (81% have done so), more flexibility with hours (64% have done so), and improved benefits (35%). The number of vacant jobs that respondents are attempting to fill has decreased from 12 in May to an average of 10.3 per property.

When compared to February 2020, the number of jobs in the hotel industry was roughly 400,000 lower as of August, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States. More than 115,000 hotel jobs are presently unfilled throughout the country, and hotels are actively searching to replace many of the positions that were eliminated as a result of the epidemic.

These staffing issues are resulting in unprecedented chances for workers to further their careers inside the hotel. The national average salary for hotel workers in 2022 through June is over $22 per hour, which is more than the national average wage for any previous year on record. Since the epidemic, the average salaries earned in hotels have climbed at a rate that is higher than the average wages earned throughout the whole economy. The perks and flexibility offered by hotels are also greater than they have ever been.

The “A Place to Stay” multi-channel advertising campaign, which is being run by the AHLA Foundation, is now active in 14 cities. These cities are Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, and Tampa. The campaign’s goals are to assist hotels in filling open positions and to increase awareness of the hotel industry’s more than 200 career pathways.

As a result of today’s tight labor market, existing and prospective hotel workers are presented with unparalleled career options, and the AHLA and the AHLA Foundation are working relentlessly to spread the news about these chances. According to Chip Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), there has never been a better moment to work in a hotel than the present. “Hotel pay, benefits, flexibility, and upward mobility are all at record levels,” stated Rogers.