Hotel on recruitment drive after bumper reopening
A hotel which has been enjoying a bumper reopening period since lockdown restrictions were relaxed is launching a major recruitment drive to meet demand.
The Best Western Valley Hotel at Ironbridge has several vacant positions, with the promise of further jobs also available as the summer progresses.
It comes at a time when the hospitality industry is struggling nationally to come to terms with a shortage of workers after more than a year of on-off lockdowns.
A recent report estimated that one in 10 people had left the sector in search of alternative employment during the past year.
Industry association UKHospitality said a survey of hundreds of hospitality operators showed a shortage of front-of-house staff and the need for chefs was particularly acute.
As many as 80 per cent of those surveyed reported vacancies for front-of-house roles, such as waiting and bar staff, and 85 per cent said they were in need of chefs.
Some 47 per cent have housekeeping vacancies and 43 per cent are looking for assistant or general managers.
The survey suggests a current vacancy rate across the sector of nine per cent and that equates to as many as 188,000 workers.
Unlocking
Now management at The Valley are determined to ensure staffing levels are sufficient to meet an increasing number of enquiries from customers as the hospitality industry gets back to normal.
Lisa Snape, sales and marketing manager, said: “Things are moving along nicely now and we have dates to work to in respect of the unlocking of the hospitality industry.
"We are delighted to be welcoming guests back and things are already looking really busy.
“We have had an exceptional start following our re-opening and it has been wonderful to welcome people from all over the UK and we have had car club meets, golfers staying, friends and families re-uniting and, of course, weddings and celebrations.
“However, we have vacancies for bar staff, waiting on staff, a laundry assistant, breakfast supervisor, part-time night porter and breakfast waiting-on staff and would love to hear from anyone who would like the opportunity to work at The Valley as we offer a fantastic work/life balance of which we are so proud.
“Many people have moved out of hospitality across the country during lockdown and we know it has lost some fantastic talent and want people to re-enter the industry or start their exciting career with us."
