Florida is one of the premier travel and tourism destinations. From the Greatest Place on Earth to the Florida Keys, people come to our great state from all across the world to experience our wide diversity of attractions. Those guests need places to stay, though. They need hotels and resorts to make their experiences positive. And right now, Florida's hotels and resorts need staffing to help deliver on those experiences.
Florida is in the midst of a hospitality labor shortage, as reported by Travel Weekly. This began with the onset of the Covid pandemic, when more than 62 percent of the state's hospitality workers were either laid off or furloughed due to safety restrictions and the lack of demand.
Carol Dover, the CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, recently reported to the Florida State Senate travel and tourism subcommittee that hotels and even restaurants are "desperate for workers" and are unable to fill open positions, in part because of both state and federal unemployment benefits.
The bottom line is hospitality operators are looking at new ways to attract employees, as well as ways to streamline operations, maximize the labor they do have, or limit capacity and shorten hours. As demands continue to increase and tourists take more well-needed vacations, the third option is clearly not ideal.
While Eaton Marketing cannot help hotels with the recruitment process, we can certainly provide some ideas and solutions to help hotels and resorts streamline operations and optimize staffing.
CREATE IMPACTFUL TRAINING PROGRAMS.
For staff who work on the foodservice side of the business, Eaton Marketing has two, brand new test kitchens where we can host staff and help train them on a full range of foodservice equipment. From menu development to maximizing the potential of particular units, our conveniently located facilities are a great place to help bring your kitchen staff up-to-speed.
USE EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT.
For kitchen staff, ease-of-use is important to efficiency. As kitchens move toward more automated and connected capacities, operators can actually wind up performing more processes with less staff. In our test kitchens, we can show you how.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Covid has brought about many changes in hospitality foodservice, from a focus on grab-n-go, individually wrapped food options to touch-free or reduced-touch service. Many of these changes will continue into the future, and we can help you navigate what the future of hospitality foodservice will look like.
GET A FREE FOODSERVICE ASSESSMENT
If you're ready to explore some solutions to the current hospitality labor shortage, we invite you to schedule a free foodservice equipment assessment from one of our Eaton Marketing experts. Contact us with any questions, concerns, or curiosities.
