Hotels struggle to attract quality staff as tourism recovers

[webfact]

House keeping staff may have to develop additional skills. (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on pexel.com)

Working in a hotel used to be considered an attractive career as not only was the job itself interesting but the monthly salary was relatively decent and there were other benefits too. But the Covid-19 pandemic changed all that and now hotel operators are having to work harder than ever before to recruit staff as tourists start coming back to Thailand.

 

Operators of hotels with fewer than 5 stars are facing the biggest headaches. Experienced staff who are returning to the industry have mostly moved to work at the top hotels where the pay is higher. As thing stands now, many hotels in the provinces want to resume full operations but can’t because they don’t have enough staff.

 

Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, organiser of the 12th annual Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF 2023), said at a recent meeting in Bangkok that people, or rather the lack of them, wanting to return to hospitality industry post-Covid was a challenge for all operators.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/hotels-struggle-to-attract-quality-staff-as-tourism-recovers/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-01-31

 

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[JoePai]

Train new staff and pay more to keep them

[sammieuk1]

Send in the police and army they are doing nothing and could use the experience of good housekeeping ????

[findlay13]

When covid hit they threw them all under a bus now they want them back, Bawahhaha

[Gottfrid]

Quality staff!??? Why in the world, would they start think about that now? Just use the same kind as before. ????

[Scouse123]

Cambodian staff in three and four star hotels blow Thais out of the water for friendliness, information, English skills, manners and a genuine wish to assist you as a tourist.

[ikke1959]

quality costs money...

[Bangkok Barry]

Same all over the world, isn't it? And it isn't only in hotels that 'staff' are  difficult to recruit here. So I've read 

[renaissanc]

To attract staff the 6-day week has to come to an end. People don't want to work 6 days a week.

[4MyEgo]

14 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Same all over the world, isn't it? And it isn't only in hotels that 'staff' are  difficult to recruit here. So I've read 

Yes, a lot of people after having been laid off during the pandemic woke up to how cruel employers can be, then when the dust settles, those same employers having no shame, ask them to come back.....LOL

 

I know of an air pilot who was with a major airline with 32 years experience, laid off just like that, wife, kids, mortgage, investment property etc etc, they asked him to come back after the pandemic, he said he had a career change and was happy with his new job, i.e. driving a taxi.

 

Sold his property during the boom and his investment property, downsized to a rental property, send the kids on their way, gave them a leg up, ages (18 and 20).

 

Less pay, but he chooses what days and hours he works.

 

Over here, I am sure people have found other ways of getting by, and I know that if I was still working and was laid off, there is no way I would return to the same employer, let alone another. Would probably do other things to survive as debt keeps people enslaved.

 

[Burma Bill]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

resume full operations but can’t because they don’t have enough staff.

How about recruiting the likes of Manuel???

(UK TV Comedy Fawlty Towers)

 

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

How about recruiting the likes of Manuel???

(UK TV Comedy Fawlty Towers)

 

He no nuthing.....

[Pedrogaz]

I went to the pharmacy today to buy some medicine. As usual the pharmacist said " Sorry, no have". In the UK, US or Japan they say "Sorry, no have but will get for you in couple of hours...can you come back then?"

 

Having lived in the UK, US and Japan I can see that the level of service here is appalling.....and fully meets the expectation of the customers because they don't know any better and so they put up with lousy service all the time. 

 

I have been in Thailand now for more than a decade and what I can say about hotels is that they are cheaper that UK or Japan but the service is bad and gets worse each time you stay there. Last year I stayed at a lovely hotel near Nana....it was small and intimate but during the pandemic had no kitchen so you had to go out to eat. This year they have opened the kitchen, but it smelly like a greasy spoon and the food (breakfast) sucks badly. What happened to the reception staff who were so wonderful and friendly last year when my wife was temporarily disabled and they could not do enough to help her? Well they are no longer there and the staff are now hiding away so as not to interact or help residents....the service has gone from 5 star to 1 star in 12 months. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, JoePai said:

Train new staff and pay more to keep them

Not the Thai way, bring in migrants pay them peanuts & treat them like s***

[Ajarnbrian]

Do hotels that laid off their loyal staff really expect them to sit and wait until called back to work years later? People move on so to attract staff hotels need to pay more and provide the training, as needed. Haven’t hotel managers been doing this?

[BritScot]

55 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I went to the pharmacy today to buy some medicine. As usual the pharmacist said " Sorry, no have". In the UK, US or Japan they say "Sorry, no have but will get for you in couple of hours...can you come back then?"

 

Having lived in the UK, US and Japan I can see that the level of service here is appalling.....and fully meets the expectation of the customers because they don't know any better and so they put up with lousy service all the time. 

 

I have been in Thailand now for more than a decade and what I can say about hotels is that they are cheaper that UK or Japan but the service is bad and gets worse each time you stay there. Last year I stayed at a lovely hotel near Nana....it was small and intimate but during the pandemic had no kitchen so you had to go out to eat. This year they have opened the kitchen, but it smelly like a greasy spoon and the food (breakfast) sucks badly. What happened to the reception staff who were so wonderful and friendly last year when my wife was temporarily disabled and they could not do enough to help her? Well they are no longer there and the staff are now hiding away so as not to interact or help residents....the service has gone from 5 star to 1 star in 12 months. 

Even worse is asking the question "where is the ........?" and getting the "We no have" because they can't be bothered to look for you. Then you see what you asked for. How about watching them opening 200 cartons of cigarettes and asking "can I buy a carton only to be told "we don't have!" Customer service is really bad in Thailand. Prices similar to UK even higher yet they pay their staff a fraction and work them twice as hard 12+ hours a day and 6 days a week.

[StayinThailand2much]

5 hours ago, findlay13 said:

When covid hit they threw them all under a bus now they want them back, Bawahhaha

And most of these former employees have a new career now, so why should they return?

[jingjai9]

How about connecting with Universities who award degrees in tourism and business English? In the 2nd term of the senior year, students go on an externship or work/study program. In the past many students did their fourth year training at hotels. Having students do a work/study program at a hotel gives the hotel "audition time" where they can see how well the trainee is doing and if they are interested in hiring, make offers for those they want to keep.

 

 

[jcmj]

It all comes down from the top. No one to blame but themselves. If they don’t pay the management a decent salary and have them make sure they pay appropriately and are trained properly then they will never be staffed properly and they will be the only ones losing money. 

[Blumpie]

8 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Same all over the world, isn't it? And it isn't only in hotels that 'staff' are  difficult to recruit here. So I've read 

Yes it is..

Despite all the news reports that you're reading tourism hasn't even started to return.  25 percent of what it used to be is a joke.  When it truly returns, it will be a disaster in Thailand.  Prices will go up, staff will be short, and service will decline significantly.  

Despite the government opening themselves with "open arms", it won't feel that way.  And you will be reading about this starting next tourist season for many years to come.

Remember what I wrote, this ain't nothing yet.  

[soi3eddie]

11 hours ago, JoePai said:

Train new staff and pay more to keep them

Agreed.

However; why are hotels so cheap in Thailand compared to the west? Because staff are paid so poorly and less well (hardly) trained.

Why are staff so poorly paid and less well trained? Because customers (often westerners) don't want to pay higher prices!

A 5 star hotel in London will run easily 20,000+ THB per night. Here in Bangkok it's possibly as low as 3,500 THB per night. Neither is guaranteed to get great service these days.

The differences elsewhere around the country are stark. Any service at all for 1,200 THB night? Rarely in my experience.

 

[soi3eddie]

Are these same said hotels attracting the "quality tourists" as per Thai government edict? ???? 

 

[mikebell]

'struggle to attract quality staff as tourism recovers' - it's not just hotels; it's every walk of life.  Mai ben rai is the motto of all employees except imported labour who have a better work ethic AND better English.

[jacko45k]

Might be because picking berries in Sweden is more attractive!

[Scouse123]

19 hours ago, renaissanc said:

To attract staff the 6-day week has to come to an end. People don't want to work 6 days a week.

 

Are you suggesting a 7 day working week? ????

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Might be because picking berries in Sweden is more attractive!

Do they take on older English guys? ????

 

Heard good reports about Sweden and met a few!

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

'struggle to attract quality staff as tourism recovers' - it's not just hotels; it's every walk of life.  Mai ben rai is the motto of all employees except imported labour who have a better work ethic AND better English.

A friend of mine, now an elderly Thai lady that had three restaurants in Northern England said that to me a long time ago.

 

She hailed from Korat and said ' The problem with most Thais in the labour force, is that they have no work ethic '  Those were her exact words.

[mommysboy]

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

A friend of mine, now an elderly Thai lady that had three restaurants in Northern England said that to me a long time ago.

 

She hailed from Korat and said ' The problem with most Thais in the labour force, is that they have no work ethic '  Those were her exact words.

I've often wondered, though, why it is that in the west we have to work so hard for such a poor reward in many cases. Personally, when I have to work for small money it does make me feel 'worthless' quite literally.

[PCUSHING]

I have been in Pattaya since June.

I have never seen such a shortage of English speaking staff.

I was asked by the manager of one of the best known sports pubs, if i knew of anyone to fill vacancies in the kitchen and serving staff.

If this place, with it's decades of contacts, can't get the staff they want, then nobody can.

Combine this with half truths when asked simple direct questions and the Thai loss of face and the service levels are dreadful.

My hotel has a water pump issue and dear knows when it will be fixed.

Supplier/contractor to hotel reception tell you a combination of half truths and lies.

The place is a shambles.

 

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Do they take on older English guys? ????

 

Heard good reports about Sweden and met a few!

The price of a pint there would not suit you I expect!