THE shortage of workers in the hotel industry will likely be exacerbated by the opening of new hotels in the country.
Loleth So, president of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA), told reporters on the sidelines of the organization’s recent general membership meeting, “There are 30,000 rooms opening in the next 15 months. A lot of hotels that did not open up during the pandemic are now opening by the end of the year until next year. So can you imagine, [this would mean] more shortage of employees in hotels.”
In a separate interview, she explained, when the Covid pandemic began in 2020, “a lot of our professionals found other sources of income or shifted to another industry. A lot of them went to BPOs [business process outsourcing firms], and some of them went into their own business.” The work-from-home nature of a number of online businesses that arose during the pandemic also made it impossible for hotels to hire back its employees, she added.
“For another,” So said, “there are so many cruise lines on hiring mode. So our operations are being hit, because these cruise liners pay more…. They’ve been aggressive in their recruitment for their food and beverage, and culinary [staff].” Independent sources believe the hotel industry faces a manpower shortage of at least 3,500.
‘So why offer them abroad?’
She noted many hotels have already raised the salaries of their employees as they are competing now with other industries. “But of course with that, our owners are saying, ‘if you want to raise the salary, no problem, but you have to give me money in return.’ So we’re really pushed now to bring in the business because operational expenses are obviously far higher now.”
A ranking official of a chain of hotels separately pointed out to the BusinessMirror, “We’re already short of workers, so why is the DOT [Department of Tourism] offering them to other countries?” The officer requested not to be named out of fear of retaliation from the government agency.
In separate meetings last year with her counterparts, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco urged Thailand to join the local job fairs the DOT was holding for the tourism sector and signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to provide “hospitality and human capital
development to the Kingdom’s tourism frontline.” (See, “PHL looking to send more tourism OFWs to Saudi Arabia,” in the BusinessMirror, December 7, 2022.)
70% off on published rates
Meanwhile, the HSMA hopes to exceed its revenue for this year’s edition of the September Online Sale (SOS), which carries the theme, “Eat.Stay.Love. The Joys of Travel.” Last year, the organization was able to sell 5,854 vouchers worth some P37 million, up from 5,164 vouchers worth about P30 million in 2021.
There are 87 hotels and resorts participating in SOS this year, covering 90 destinations nationwide, according to HSMA vice president and project head Amie Villena. “The best hotel or resort deals [are] available 24/7 for 30 days and provide a one-stop shop for everyone…by offering diverse packages in partnership with industry stakeholders,” she said.
The vouchers will have no expiration, as per regulations of the Department of Trade and Industry, but some properties may impose “blackout dates,” when the vouchers can’t be used, like the usual national holidays. The deals, which cover not just hotel and resort stays, but also spa treatments, meetings and conferences packages, and restaurants or banquets packages, are being offered at discounts of as high as 70 percent on published rates.
The SOS deals are available from September 1 to 30, 2023 via HSMA’s website www.hsma.org.ph/sos
New hotels seen to worsen workers’ shortage
Source: News Paper Radio
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