Pinellas County resorts hustle to maintain up with tourism

CLEARWATER, Florida – Whether surfing in the warm water, cruising the coast or simply removing your mask in public, people from all over the world make pilgrimages to the white sandy beaches of Pinellas County.

“We saw a resurgence of trips to our communities in mid-spring, around mid-March, where we actually exceeded our numbers, not from 2020 but from 2019,” said Steve Hayes, President and CEO of Visit St. Pete Clearwater.

ABC Action News met tourist Beth Poole walking on Clearwater Beach. She and her husband were visiting from Springdale, Arkansas, for the first time in several years.

“We probably come here every two to three years. We didn’t come with COVID last year, but now that Governor De Santis has made this state a free state again, it was the perfect choice for a place to come, “said Poole excitedly in her sun visor.

Tens of thousands of people seem to have the same idea.

In May alone, Pinellas hotels brought in slightly more guests and even more revenue this year than in 2019, before the pandemic broke out.

• May 2021
  • Occupancy: 77%
  • RevPAR (New Revenue Per Available Room): $ 139.32
• May 2020
  • Occupancy: 43%
  • ADR: $ 112.48
  • RevPAR: $ 51.40
• May 2019
  • Occupancy: 75%
  • RevPAR: $ 112.39

But the reality is that hotels are struggling to keep up.

When ABC Action News went to some hotels around 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, they saw the reception desks flood with more people than they could help. Lobbies had suitcases stacked and pushed as far behind the desk as possible. Phones rang and staff answered and replied, “Sorry, we have no availability.”

“We’ve probably got a 95% occupancy here, at least for over a month, a couple of months,” exclaimed Mike Shippee. He runs the Pelican Pointe Resort on Clearwater Beach.

“It was really hard because there is nowhere help, I can’t find any help,” he added.

Forget about early check-in, these hotels struggle to get people to rooms on time. We met a group of Chicago tourists outside.

“I’m from the suburbs of Chicago and I live at the Pelican Pointe and we still haven’t got our room,” Mike Lilly said when checking in at around 3pm.

Still in high spirits, excited to be mask-free on the beach, the group added that they would understand and wait as long as necessary.

But anyone who has traveled anywhere recently has probably noticed that the typical hotel stay looks and feels a lot different too.

“Towels can be delivered to your room if you wish, but you have to request them,” said Poole, who lived at the SpringHill Suites off the beach. “They will pick up your trash if you ask. They will clean your room if you give them a 24 hour notice, the breakfast bar listed as a convenience is really down there, pick up some microwaveable items and bring them to your room. “

Shippee said it was daunting not living up to their reputation for getting people off their feet and into the rooms early. He said that when he was cleaning the rooms himself.

“I’m pretty much looking for help – I say, ‘Do you have any household experience? You are hired! And I give them the paperwork, so fill this in and come back that day. ‘ I say, ‘Okay, thank you very much’ and I will never hear from or see you again, ”he explained.

It’s not just housekeeping, Shippee said that this location and the other two Sunsational Beach Rental properties on Treasure Island are also in short supply on reception, grounds, and maintenance staff. Even after he has raised his salary bracket to a previously welcomed position, the workers do not show up.

Owners are now offering a $ 750 60-day sign up bonus that Shippee hopes will make a difference.

In addition to its listing on Indeed.com, however, there are more than 1,300 similar hotel positions across the county – with offers of four to five dollars above the minimum wage, with sign-up bonuses, and now.

When asked what happens if even incentives don’t work, the President of Visit St. Pete Clearwater said if he knew the answer, he’d probably be the highest-paid advisor.

“I think part of that is, you know, there has to be an appeal for people to go back to work and then get back into this industry, which is exciting,” suggested Hayes.

On June 26, the Florida Department of Economic (DEO) will end the additional $ 300 weekly benefits under the federal weekly unemployment compensation program with the aim of getting more people back to work.

DEO press secretary Andrew Nixon told ABC Action News in a statement:

“The department has no data to prove the reasons for the labor shortage across the state.

On May 12, 2021, the Florida Ministry launched the Return to Work initiative. This initiative focuses on encouraging Floridians to return to work, helping employers attract job seekers, and further fueling the state’s post-pandemic economic growth. As part of DEO’s Return to Work initiative and another important step the department has taken to encourage Floridians to return to work, Florida will extend its participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program, the FPUC supplementary payment of $ 300 per week, effective 26th, 2021.

DEO also encourages Floridians interested in a new career path or needing help finding a job to contact CareerSource Florida for assistance. CareerSource Florida can help job seekers explore new employment opportunities, provide a workforce and professional development skills, and provide professional development assistance. “

Andrew G. Nixon, Press Secretary, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

When asked if they are ready for the summer, Shippee replied, “As ready as we will be, yes.”

If you would like to apply for a position at Pelican Pointe, you can apply here Indeed.com, under Sunsational Beach Rentals Clearwater location. You can also find hundreds of other jobs in Hotels on Indeed.