Sable hotel general manager Scott Waters checks in a guest at the front desk at Chicago's Navy Pier on July 20, 2022.
Director of Operations Jeovanny Arellano, right, talks with a co-worker at LH Rooftop at LondonHouse hotel on July 20, 2022, in Chicago., a recent survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association found 97% of respondents across the U.S. reported experiencing a staffing shortage, and nearly half of all hotels said they are “severely understaffed.”
news conference in Chicago earlier this month. “The message is clear: If you want to start a career in hospitality, there absolutely is no better time to do that, and no better place to do it than right here in Chicago.” “Working in a hotel provides a path to the middle class for individuals from every neighborhood across Chicagoland and from every walk of life,”Juan Leyva, general manager of LondonHouse, said he is searching for candidates to fill several openings at the downtown hotel, including front desk workers and a bartender for its LH Rooftop, a popular rooftop bar with views of the Chicago River.
“Hotels are often competing with each other to find people, and unfortunately, when you don’t have the labor, it’s going to create a lot of customer dissatisfaction,” said Amrik Singh, associate professor at the University of Denver’s Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management. While the U.S. job market this summer remains robust overall, some experts have suggested the Federal Reserve’s decision to temper inflation by raising interest rates could usher in a slackening of the economy, prompting job losses.Mary Skoubis, head concierge at LondonHouse, said she had spent 20 years working for a Gold Coast hotel when she was furloughed at the start of the pandemic, then never called back to work.
“I’m a person who has the necessity to work, I couldn’t afford not to, but I’m doing what I love, and working in this beautiful environment,” Skoubis said.Along with the upscale environment offered at some of the more posh downtown hotels, industry advocates say hospitality can also offer strong opportunities for advancement, with some managers climbing the ranks from entry level positions.