- The Washington Post highlighted a recent trend of hotels incentivizing guests to forego housekeeping services.
- While billed as being environmentally friendly, the article notes that this could hurt employment and hours for housekeepers.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides data on wages and employment in the hotel industry.
- Hotels employ a wide variety of workers, and salaries range from well below the median wage to very high-paying.
- Maids and housekeepers in the industry earned a median of just $23,310 a year in 2018.
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A recent trend in the hotel industry could have a negative impact on some of its most vulnerable workers.
The Washington Post's Hannah Sampson highlighted hotels incentivizing guests to forego daily housekeeping, offering loyalty points or discounts to people who don't have their rooms cleaned every day. According to the Post, hotels are arguing that not cleaning rooms every day is environmentally friendly, using less water, energy, and cleaning products.
But the article notes that housekeepers themselves could potentially be negatively affected by programs like this. Less demand for housekeeping services could lead to hotels employing fewer housekeepers or giving staff fewer hours.
Hotels employ a wide variety of workers, and salaries range from well below the median wage to very high paying.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics program offers data on employment and wages across different occupations and industries.
According to that report, there were about 2 million Americans employed in the traveler accommodation industry in May 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.
Hotel jobs tend to be lower paying than average. The median annual wage for an employee in the traveler accommodation industry was just $32,420, below the overall median wage of $38,640.
Housekeepers, for example, earned just $23,310 per year in 2018.
Here are all the occupations for which at least 4% of hotel-industry establishments reported having employees, ranked from lowest to highest wage, along with their median annual pay and the number of people in that job:
37. Non-restaurant food servers earn a median of $22,460 a year, and there are 28,560 employed in the hotel industry.
36. Servers earn a median of $23,100 a year, and 156,740 are employed in the hotel industry.
35. Maids and housekeeping cleaners earn a median of $23,310 a year, and there are 466,660 employed in the hotel industry.
34. Combined food preparation and serving workers earn a median of $23,330, and there are 14,080 employed in the hotel industry.
33. Dining room and cafeteria attendants, as well as bartender helpers, earn a median of $23,390, and 57,510 are employed in the hotel industry.
32. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers earn a median of $23,400 a year, and 36,200 are employed in the hotel industry.
31. Desk clerks earn a median of $23,640 a year, and 242,660 are employed in the hotel industry.
30. Taxi drivers and chauffeurs earn a median of $23,730 a year and 8,700 are employed in the hotel industry.
29. Bartenders earn a median of $23,770 a year, and 42,700 are employed in the hotel industry.
28. Restaurant hosts and hostesses earn a median of $24,150 a year, and 18,710 are employed in the hotel industry.
27. Baggage porters and bellhops earn a median of $24,390 a year, and 23,440 are employed in the hotel industry.
26. Dishwashers earn a median of $24,410 a year, and 30,340 are employed in the hotel industry.
25. Food preparation workers earn a median of $26,760 a year, and 13,880 are employed in the hotel industry.
24. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn a median of $27,870 a year, and 11,500 are employed in the hotel industry.
23. Janitors and cleaners (except maids) earn a median of $28,520 a year, and 44,660 are employed in the hotel industry.
22. Office clerks earn a median of $28,780 a year, and 9,110 are employed in the hotel industry.
21. Restaurant cooks earn a median of $29,780 a year, and 80,440 are employed in the hotel industry.
20. Security guards earn a median of $29,890 a year, and 29,930 are employed in the hotel industry.
19. Concierges earn a median of $31,240 a year, and 13,420 are employed in the hotel industry.
18. Maintenance and repair workers earn a median of $31,690 a year, and 88,550 are employed in the hotel industry.
17. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn a median of $33,090 a year, and 21,040 are employed in the hotel industry.
16. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers earn a median of $35,730 a year, and 34,440 are employed in the hotel industry.
15. Secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median salary of $37,190, and 8,740 are employed in the hotel industry.
14. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers earn a median of $38,860 a year, and 28,900 are employed in the hotel industry.
13. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers earn a median of $42,270 a year, and 33,210 are employed in the hotel industry.
12. Meeting, convention, and event planners earn a median of $47,230 a year, and 8,830 are employed in the hotel industry.
11. Sales representatives earn a median of $50,100, and 23,570 are employed in the hotel industry.
10. Lodging managers earn a median of $52,850 a year, and 32,650 are employed in the hotel industry.
9. Human resources specialists earn a median of $54,480 a year, and 4,300 are employed in the hotel industry.
8. Chefs and head cooks earn a median of $56,690 a year, and 13,730 are employed in the hotel industry.
7. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers earn a median of $56,840 a year, and 7,870 are employed in the hotel industry.
6. Accountants and auditors earn a median of $56,980 a year, and 8,300 are employed in the hotel industry
5. Food service managers earn a median of $63,950 a year, and 8,240 are employed in the hotel industry.
4. General and operations managers earn a median of $77,260 a year, and 15,780 are employed in the hotel industry.
3. Administrative services managers earn a median of $82,210 a year, and 3,480 are employed in the hotel industry.
2. Sales managers earn a median of $90,820 a year, and 5,730 are employed in the hotel industry.
1. Financial managers earn a median of $103,170 a year, and 3,820 are employed in the hotel industry.
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