Dylan Patel, Young Professional Director Eastern Division, and Vik Zaver, Georgia Regional Director, were interviewed this week by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The article “Georgia jobs for April: Good growth, but hospitality still catching up” focused on the state's economy.

Patel and Zaver spoke about their experiences in hiring in a challenging market. Patel noted that owners often jump to assist with housekeeping tasks such as folding towels.

“Sometimes, as the owner, you even have to jump in and do the work,” Patel said. “There just aren’t enough hands to do everything that needs to be done, so you’re folding towels, getting rooms ready, or handling the front desk.”

 Zaver noted hotels are turning to contract labor or cutting back on services.

“It saves the hotelier the cost of labor and it’s more efficient,” Zaver said. “Payroll is often the largest single cost. And you still have utilities, property taxes, sales taxes, materials and supplies and maintenance.”

 Learn how other industries in Georgia are coping.