PHOENIX — Arizona’s hotels shed more than 25% of their employees in 2020 and are only expected this year to regain a sliver of what was lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Job losses at the state’s hotel properties totaled 15,235 in 2020, according to a state-by-state tally released Monday by the American Hotel & Lodging Association in an effort to encourage Congress to pass targeted nationwide relief for the industry.
Those losses brought the state’s hotel employment to 43,445 people, down from 58,680 in 2019. By the end of this year, the total number of hotel jobs is expected to rise to 46,037, still 12,643 fewer than 2019 levels.
The totals only count people directly employed by hotel properties. They do not include losses from other areas supported by the hotel industry, such as restaurants, retailers, events, services, vendors and suppliers, among others, the report said.
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