Why US Hotels Are Missing More Than 238,000 Employees
From self-service kiosks and cocktail-making machines to reduced housekeeping, hotels have learned to embrace leaner staff.
A shortfall of more than 17,000 workers in the Las Vegas accommodation industry has left the unemployment rate at 6.1% – the highest among any major metropolitan area in the country.
Photographer: Bridget Bennett/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Tourism is back in the US — but hotel workers are not.
Hotels and resorts learned to operate with leaner staffing models during the pandemic. Three years later, Covid-era band-aids like self-service kiosks and less frequent housekeeping have now become the new normal for many firms seeking to cope with rising labor costs and perpetual vacancies.