CLEVELAND, Ohio — News 5 recently told you about the Cleveland hotel and hospitality industry bouncing back.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
Occupancy and booking rates have finally returned to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
However, the industry continues to battle a crippling staffing shortage nationwide and at the local level.
With major events right around the corner—hotels are looking to fill as many jobs as possible.
Hotels are offering higher pay, incentives and recruiting constantly, according to a recent study.
Thursday afternoon—local hotels are joining forces with Destination Cleveland to host a huge Hiring Fair dubbed "Work in Travel Hiring Fair" from 1-6 p.m. at the Huntington Convention Center with on-site interviews.
This year is expected to be a major year in events, from the NCAA Women's Final Four to the Total Solar Eclipse.
But finding staffing to meet the tourism rush at Cleveland area hotels has been an uphill battle coming out of the pandemic.
"The workforce continues to be a challenge," Robert Hill, Area General Manager for IHG Company Managed Hotels and InterContinental Hotel Cleveland, said.
Following a recent survey, The American Hotel and Lodging Association reports more than two-thirds of hotels or 67% continue to experience staffing shortages.
There are more than 70,000 job openings nationwide.
"I don't know of a hotel right now that says they're fully staffed everywhere. And so, while the biggest challenge is housekeepers and front desk agents, there's a lot of openings for every type of position." Chip Rogers, President and CEO of American Hotel and Lodging Association, said.
Hill says while the numbers are discouraging things are improving locally.
"Today, we're looking at about 12-13% open positions. We need to fill across our hotels in Cleveland. That was about 3-4% back in 2019."
The American Hotel and Lodging Association reports that 12% of hotels are severely understaffed, impacting their ability to operate.
However, coming out of the pandemic, Hill says the workforce is evolving.
People are showing up for job interviews whereas before they were often ghosting and no-showing.
Current employees are sticking around longer.
"At one point, we were at 85% turnover two years ago. That's down to 45% today," Hill said.
Rogers says hotels have boosted wages on average to nearly $24 an hour, are offering more flexible hours and are expanding benefits to entice prospective candidates.
"But really that chance to start in this career and move up the ladder very quickly, it's better than it's ever been before," Rogers said.
Hill says although the industry is highly competitive—Cleveland hotels have unified to bridge the employment gap.
They worked on a video in conjunction with Destination Cleveland to promote hotel employees who climbed the ladder and have achieved pinnacle success.
He says it times out perfectly with Thursday's hiring fair.
"Eight months ago, a group of GMs in the City of Cleveland came together and said we need to work on the workforce and promote why it's great to work in the industry," Hill said.
Hill says it's crunch time with events rapidly approaching.
He's eager to hire staff across the board, including at Table 45 inside of the InterContinental so they can start serving lunch Monday through Friday in time for the big rush.
"We need to have the right workforce to be able to welcome and showcase the great things that Cleveland has to offer," Hill said.
Hotel officials say if you're looking for part-time or full-time work, apply now.
It's an employees market across the board with hundreds of openings.
To check out additional information on Thursday's hiring fair, click here.
Interested candidates can register here.
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