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Tourism is booming in Corpus Christi but hotels, motels face housekeeper shortage

Comfort Inn on Ennis Joslin isn't alone when it comes to finding enough housekeepers, the shortage is citywide, and it's causing lots of issues.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Tourism is once again booming in Corpus Christi and on the way to making a full recovery after Hurricane Harvey, according to Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

Coastal Bend hotels and motels are reporting a severe shortage of housekeepers.

"Hotels are doing better than they've ever been, that I know of, in the summer months they're beating last year and the year before," said Paulette Kluge, CEO of Visit Corpus Christi. 

Tourists and visitors who come for a getaway seeking fun in the sun in the Sparkling City by the Sea inevitably have to stay somewhere.

"And so when you have high occupancy you need more employees and when you have fewer employees, then, ah, there's an issue," Kluge said.

"It's just hard to find people that could work that position," director of sales John Garcia said. 

According to Garcia, Comfort Inn on Ennis Joslin isn't alone when it comes to finding enough housekeepers, the shortage is citywide, and it's causing lots of issues.

"Check out time standard is at noon and check-in time is usually at 3 p.m., but as I said with the shortage of housekeepers the rooms probably won't get ready till about four or five," Garcia said. 

The housekeeper shortage is so critical at times in Corpus Christi, hotels and motels end up having to rely on temp services and even transporting housekeepers from other hotels in other parts of the state, to fill the need.      

"We can take people that have never done it before, and if they've got the willingness to work and to learn, we can always train them," John Lee said. 

According to hotel managers, housekeeping is not an easy job; its downright hard.

All pay for housekeeping depends on experience and ranges from $8.75-15 an hour.

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