Staff at Cornish hotel given month off and bonus after busy summer season
Bosses at the St Moritz wanted to say thank you to their workers
A hotel in north Cornwall is going to give its staff a month off work as a thank you for their hard work over the busy summer season.
The St Moritz Hotel, based in Trebetherick near Wadebridge, has been struggling with staff shortages and a recruitment crisis like many other businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Bosses say all summer their occupancy has been up which has been great for sales but has been challenging for staff due to the reduced levels.
They should have 100 employees but have neem operating with 75, who are all going the extra mile and doing extra shifts.
Now to show appreciation to their staff, they are being given the whole month of November off work.
That is on top of a 5% pay increase and a bonus too.
Hugh Ridgway is the co-owner of the hotel, he said: "They are going the extra mile and because of that, in July we gave everyone a 5% pay increase, and then at the end of October half term we're going to give them a 5% bonus.
"Because we can't get them away at the moment to have the number of days off that they should have, for the first time ever we are going to close in November and all our staff will be given four weeks off, as a thank you."
And he has this message for his staff: "We are frankly in awe of them, and we want to thank them enormously for that, we can try and compensate that with some financial incentive and giving them the whole of November off but frankly we are in awe of what they are delivering to the customer."
It comes after a warning was issued back in July that Cornwall is facing a 'staffing crisis' in tourism and hospitality.
The Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions says it means many businesses were having to operate with reduced numbers during one of our busiest ever summers.
Tourist attractions across Cornwall have been calling for considerate behaviour from customers.
At the start of the summer holidays Jon Cummins, Chair of the Board of Directors at Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions said: "We’re delighted that all of our attractions are now able to reopen fully and welcome visitors safely. However, we know that Cornwall is going to be incredibly busy this summer and we urge all visitors to be mindful of the safety and wellbeing of others around them.
“Cornwall is experiencing a staffing crisis in tourism and hospitality as well as one of our busiest summers, meaning that many attractions are operating with less staff than normal.
"We can’t wait to welcome our visitors back this summer, and we will be working hard to make sure you have a great – and safe – day out, but we need everyone to play their part in acting responsibly and with consideration.”