Running a Maine Resort This Summer Was No Vacation

Days like this are not uncommon at this standard New England trip spot. “Day by day is full-capacity and we merely should make it occur,” mentioned Mr. Dougherty, the lodge’s basic supervisor.

A surge in demand, prices and costs collided this summer time with extreme labor shortages, resulting in some robust decisions for hospitality properties throughout the U.S. Inns minimize housekeeping, eating places minimize hours and a few providers grew to become automated—sometimes by robots. Costs for labor and provides rose whereas homeowners and managers struggled to recruit again staff laid off earlier within the pandemic.

These identical trials examined the Bar Harbor Inn, a historic property in Maine that opens from mid-March via November every season. Surrounded by rocky seashores and lobster boats, it started as a social and literary membership in 1887 that drew rich summer time guests such because the Vanderbilts and Pulitzers. Throughout World Struggle II, it grew to become an commentary headquarters for the Navy, and in 1950 opened as an inn. One standard draw for the 153-room, five-building complicated is close by Acadia Nationwide Park, which spans greater than 37,000 acres and attracts hundreds of thousands of holiday makers yearly.

Like virtually all motels across the nation, the Bar Harbor Inn closed through the early phases of the pandemic and had restricted demand as soon as it opened for the 2020 season. Bookings skyrocketed in 2021 when lockdowns lifted and remained sturdy this 12 months as Individuals scratched their journey itch, aided by the financial savings they’d amassed in lockdown. Occupancy is up 11 proportion factors via August in comparison with the final prepandemic season, in 2019. Labor prices are up 24% from 2021 because the lodge pays staff extra, however room charges additionally rose to maintain tempo with surging inflation. Room income is up 12.7% via August in contrast with the identical interval final 12 months.

The duty of managing the present surge in demand falls to Mr. Dougherty, 41, an Military veteran and ultramarathoner who obtained his begin within the hospitality trade as a safety guard and labored his technique to administration roles at motels within the Phoenix space. He set himself a aim of changing into a basic supervisor by the age of 35 and achieved that at 33 with a startup lodge firm in Tempe, Ariz. In 2017, he, his spouse and their two youngsters moved throughout the nation to Bar Harbor so he might take the highest job on the Bar Harbor Inn, which is owned by Maine-based Witham Household Inns.

The brand new environment had been an adjustment. One shock for Mr. Dougherty, he mentioned, was that some workers had “lumberjack beards.” One other was how laborious it was to seek out youthful seasonal staff in a state that has the very best median age within the nation, in line with the newest U.S. census information. That obtained even harder as soon as the labor market tightened through the pandemic.

The lodge has raised wages in an try to lure and retain extra staff. In 2019, front-desk attendants made $13 an hour, and now they start at $17 an hour—nicely above the state’s minimal wage of $12.75. But this 12 months not a single individual got here to the three job gala’s Bar Harbor Inn held on totally different days in numerous places. Up to now, Mr. Dougherty says at the least 75 folks would present as much as every one.

Like many companies in Maine, the Bar Harbor Inn has lengthy relied on staff, primarily from Jamaica, who come to the U.S. on seasonal employee, or H-2B, visas. The H-2B staff now make up about 35% of the inn’s workforce of roughly 160.

However Mr. Dougherty discovered that recruiting international staff isn’t a surefire technique to fill positions, both. Though the lodge employs about 30% extra H-2B staff than it did in 2019, the variety of staff who can return is unsure 12 months to 12 months. The federal authorities instituted a nationwide lottery for these visas in 2019 resulting from what it says was intense competitors, and the inn has struggled with staffing shortages whereas ready for accredited staff to reach, Mr. Dougherty says.

One such worker in that place this 12 months was Alax McCalla, a 31-year-old seasonal employee from Jamaica, who has been working summers on the Bar Harbor Inn since 2016 and depends on the job for many of his annual revenue. He says he often arrives in March, however this 12 months wasn’t in a position to arrive till early July as a result of the nationwide lottery reached its preliminary cap with out awarding him a visa. He obtained it as a part of an extra spherical of approvals designed to assist alleviate the nation’s labor scarcity.

The server now picks up additional shifts to make up for the months he misplaced and sends cash residence to his grandmother, who’s going via most cancers therapy, and to his girlfriend, who’s anticipating a child in September. He’s “at all times working,” he says. “That’s what I’m right here for.”

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Bar Harbor Inn basic supervisor Jeremy Dougherty, left, meets with colleagues on the resort throughout a morning workers assembly. In the course of the lunch hour, visitors and different patrons pack the patio on the resort’s Terrace Grille, proper.

The employee shortages go away the lodge with roughly the identical variety of workers members it had in 2019, in line with Mr. Dougherty, regardless of the rise in demand for rooms over the past two seasons. If he might, Mr. Dougherty says, he would rent 20 to 25 extra staff. He hopes to usher in 15% to 25% extra H-2B staff for subsequent 12 months.

Many workers are logging additional hours so the lodge can provide every part it offered earlier than the pandemic, from day by day housekeeping to room service. This 12 months, workers are projected to work greater than twice as a lot additional time than in 2019, the final supervisor says. The corporate presents staffers the chance to work one other job on the lodge as a substitute of looking for second jobs elsewhere, which offers them with extra additional time. That observe, which began final 12 months, comes on the danger of workers burnout, says Mr. Dougherty, whereas noting that many of those workers would hunt down a number of jobs even when the lodge didn’t provide them.

A method Mr. Dougherty works to spice up morale is by approaching workers on his rounds to debate every part from profession ambitions with school college students to homesickness with staff from different international locations. On this present day, he additionally stopped to see a cook dinner who talked about he wanted assist protecting some overdue dental work. Mr. Dougherty advised him he would look into contributing among the firm’s worker aid fund—which presents as much as $1,000 per request and is funded by worker and firm donations.

“We find out about every part that’s occurring in folks’s lives,” Mr. Dougherty says.

Discovering seasonal staff and preserving them wholesome and motivated is tough sufficient. Touchdown them a spot to remain is one other riddle Mr. Dougherty has to unravel. Accessible housing is so scarce that Mr. Dougherty mentioned that he let an worker sleep in his above-garage residence earlier this 12 months whereas he seemed for house. Provide is tight partly as a result of staff should compete with vacationers for leases every season.

The lodge proprietor, Witham Household Inns, has tried to unravel the problem by creating housing for its staff. It bought its first residence for that goal in 1987, and presently owns six single-family properties, 4 duplexes and 23 residence models. In these areas it homes 235 of its 430 workers who work for its eight properties within the space. This 12 months it charged them $65 every week for a shared house, up barely from $60 every week in 2018.

Witham Chief Government David Witham additionally labored with native officers to present detailed enter on zoning adjustments for worker dwelling quarters in Bar Harbor. This was finished to assist relieve strain on denser residential neighborhoods dominated by year-round residents. Witham now plans to construct a $6 million worker dorm-style constructing in Bar Harbor that can home roughly 84 staff.

As a result of about half of Bar Harbor Inn’s workers dwell in worker housing, Mr. Dougherty says 20% of his job is dedicated to managing points that consequence from these lodging, although some days it takes up 100%. Relying on the day, the drama can get difficult. On this specific Wednesday in August, he needed to navigate a dispute between workers sharing an area.

“It’s like ‘The Bachelor,’” he says.

Mr. Dougherty has to fret in regards to the satisfaction of holiday makers, too, as demand for rooms surges whereas the ratio of staffers to visitors drops. The Bar Harbor Inn is charging 10% to fifteen% extra for rooms this 12 months than final. Mr. Dougherty and Mr. Witham say they may cost extra, however don’t wish to elevate expectations past the service they will present or alienate their buyer base. Summer season room charges vary from $449 an evening to $1,000 an evening.

Mr. Dougherty oversees greater than a dozen managers who work with the seasonal workers. In a gathering with a few of these managers, Mr. Dougherty distributed packets of each visitor remark and the rating rating left on suggestions surveys for every part from room situation to meals high quality, after which proceeded to learn every of the handfuls of feedback aloud.

Many praised the friendliness of the workers, day by day housekeeping and the fistbumps from bellmen Errol England and Harry Blair. Some additionally complained in regards to the choices on the continental breakfast. Mr. Dougherty nonetheless hears in regards to the gradual Wi-Fi, despite the fact that it was upgraded final 12 months.

The excellent news is that sure visitor scores measuring the efficiency of workers and repair both stayed constant or rose. However the general worth rating capturing what visitors really feel they obtain for what they paid has declined just a few factors since June.

“The place final 12 months they had been like, ‘Hey thanks a lot for simply being right here.’ Now it’s like ‘I’m paying extra money. You must have every part right here,’” Mr. Dougherty says.

Some visitors have made annual pilgrimages to the Bar Harbor Inn for many years, with one celebrating a sixtieth annual keep this summer time. These visitors ship photographs and handwritten notes to Mr. Dougherty, and name forward a 12 months prematurely to e-book the identical room over the identical dates.

However customer patterns are altering, Mr. Dougherty mentioned, with folks taking a number of journeys to totally different places as a substitute of 1 massive household pilgrimage to the identical place annually. Mr. Dougherty hopes to make visitor stays memorable sufficient that they return sometime.

One in all these newer guests was Christie Malayil-Lincoln, who was on the Bar Harbor Inn along with her household for the primary time. The 46-year-old Houstonian initially thought the worth was steep earlier than she arrived, however the radiologist says she feels she obtained her cash’s price. She cited the situation, cookies within the foyer each afternoon and free stuffed animals given to her two youthful youngsters.

Mr. Dougherty says he is aware of there are some visitors who gained’t be joyful, regardless of greatest efforts. He expects complaints from visitors a few pool heater that broke down earlier within the week. He and his crew scrambled to seek out one other heater, however the pool took time to heat again up.

He returned to his workplace on the finish of the day and checked on the 2 workers who had their roommate dispute, confirming that one can be quickly staying on the lodge as a substitute. Two buckets had been now amassing rainwater from the restaurant roof, which he knew can be repaired within the off season. His dad and mom had been resulting from go to within the morning. Tomorrow can be one other busy day.

Write to Allison Pohle at Allison.Pohle@wsj.com