With the impending shortage of Guest Room Attendants (GRAs) on the horizon with the opening of CityCenter and expansions of the Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood and Monte Carlo (Hotel 32), there is an opposing force that is not being considered…. the Backdraft of GRAs.
A couple years ago, I wrote about the Backdraft of talent leaving Las Vegas. Just as in the movie, Las Vegas is experiencing a new type of backdraft never experienced before. In this case, it is with Guest Room Attendants. GRAs are leaving Las Vegas.
Some are probably shaking their heads saying “What?” GRAs leaving town? Are you kidding me? No joke…… GRAs have been leaving town.
As their husbands have been laid off from the construction industry and some GRAs being laid off (or hours reduced) from Las Vegas strip casinos, entire families have been packing up and moving back to Mexico.
Las Vegas’ construction industry has taken as big of a, if not a larger, hit than gaming. With projects such as Echelon, Fontainebleau and Caesars’ Palace Tower being put on hold, while other projects such as M Resort, Palazzo, Hard Rock expansion and Westgate Towers being completed…..construction jobs in Las Vegas have just about dried up.
And as we know, the majority of the construction workers are Mexican men. Without a steady income, many do not have the financial means or desire to stay in Las Vegas. So they are moving back home.
It will be interesting to see what the overall impact will be to the Nevada workforce. This recession is changing everything.
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