While hotel workers in the United States just received an all-time increase of $10 an hour, the biggest increase in 100 years, the upside is being felt in Quebec.
Last Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a hotel union just managed to raise the wages of some workers in the industry by $7.50 an hour (C$10).
In total, more than 7,000 Hotel and Gaming Trades Council members spread across 87 suburban hotels in Princeton, New York and Long Island were eligible for the largest increase in a century.
staff shortage
If the picture isn’t the same in Quebec, we’re still seeing some increases and efforts to try to stem labor shortages.
At Hotel Entourage sur-le-Lac in Lac-Beauport, near Quebec City, chef Sébastien Laframboise speaks of increases of more than 35%.
“A first chef who made $18.50 an hour in 2019 can make as much as $25 an hour today,” he illustrates.
580 kilometers away, in the Manoir Belle Plage, in the Gaspé, owner David Comeau believes in the sense of belonging, which is even more important to him than money.
Bonuses of $1500
To stay competitive, David Comeau also recently had the idea of sharing a portion of his profits with his employees according to the hours worked.
“An employee can have a few hundred dollars. Another, more than $1,500,” emphasizes the man at the head of a team of 25 employees.
“To ensure that the employee is not taxed on these amounts, we put them into retirement savings accounts [REER] “, he continues.
Archive photo, Didier Debusschère
Veronyque Tremblay
CEO of AHQ
According to Véronyque Tremblay, CEO of Association Hôtellerie Québec (AHQ), there is currently a real upward trend in wages.
“There were more significant increases in housekeeping and cooking,” she says, also specifying that salary is not the only important element.
“Our hoteliers often go to agencies and charge high prices. Some are struggling to find rescuers,” she adds.
“We need to stop saying tourism jobs are badly paid. There is a way to have a career and make a good living,” concludes Martin Soucy, CEO of the Quebec Tourism Industry Alliance (Alliance).
► According to a recent study by the Association Hôtellerie Québec with Horwath HTL, housekeeping, cooks, dishwashers and night watchmen are the most difficult positions to fill. In general management, salary varies from $74,700 to $148,600.