Hotel Guests Find Damp Towels, Trash Piles Amid Worker Shortage

Busted shower handles. Soiled sheets. Trash piling up in the hallways. James Androuais saw it all during the 100-plus nights he spent on the road last year, as low occupancy rates and Covid-19 precautions pushed hotel operators to let traditional service standards slide.

Now Americans are making up for lost vacations and corporate travelers are starting to get back on the road, putting hotels under pressure to step up their game. But labor shortages have made it hard for companies to find workers after mass layoffs, leading to continued cutbacks on some services that guests took for granted before the pandemic.