The National Day Calendar now recognizes September 1 as National Hotel Employee Day, according to a statement from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).
Every year, National Hotel Employee Day will be observed to honor and thank hotel staff members for their commitment to excellence and hard work and acknowledge their vital role in the travel, hospitality, and tourism sectors of the U.S. economy.
National Hotel Employee Day will be more significant this year as hotels throughout the country scramble to fill more than 120,000 available hotel positions. As a result, hotels are providing prospective and current employees with higher pay, better perks, and more flexibility than ever before to entice more talent.
“On this inaugural National Hotel Employee Day, we thank America’s nearly two million hotel employees. Every day in communities across the nation, hotel employees’ service and dedication help facilitate some of Americans’ most important life events—from wedding receptions to family reunions and vacations,” said AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers. “And with more than 120,000 open hotel jobs across the nation, now is the time to consider one of the more than 200 enriching careers in the hotel industry.”
According to an AHLA member survey, most hotels have difficulty recruiting enough employees to cover shifts, and half of them say they are significantly understaffed.
Ninety-seven per cent of survey participants said they are suffering a staffing shortfall, with 49 per cent saying it is very severe. The majority (58 per cent) of employers cite housekeeping as their main difficulty when it comes to employment needs.
These staffing issues and the high summer tourism demand are giving hotel workers historic career opportunities. Before the pandemic, the national average hotel salary was $18.74 per hour; in May 2022, it will be $22.25 per hour. Additionally, benefits and flexibility are at an all-time high.
“There has never been a better time to work in the hotel industry than right now,” Rogers said.
The hotel industry offers more than 200 different career paths and many opportunities for upward mobility, with 80 per cent of entry-level workers eligible for a promotion in less than one year and 50 per cent of hotel general managers having started in an entry-level position.
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