Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 14, 1995 TAG: 9502150029
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center will hire 300 housekeepers, food servers and other employees within a month to prepare for its April 3 reopening. That's nearly twice the number who worked there when the hotel closed just over five years ago.
The announcement Monday culminated a lengthy effort by civic leaders to replace the jobs of 175 workers lost when the downtown hotel closed in 1989.
Those interested in the jobs may apply Feb. 27 and 28 or March 1 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the National Guard Armory, 210 Reserve Ave. S.W. Candidates are asked to dress for a job interview and bring resumes if possible.
The hotel, through its operator, Doubletree Hotels Corp. of Phoenix, Ariz., will employ 225 full-time and 75 part-time employees and 35 management personnel, said General Manager Gary D. Walton. Most managers already have been hired.
The job openings will pay a low of $2.13 hourly for food servers, who are expected to receive at least the $4.25 minimum wage counting tips from customers. Skilled maintenance workers, such as those who can repair a refrigeration system, and cooks who double as kitchen supervisors will be among employees who draw the top nonmanagement wage of $8 to $9 hourly, Walton said.
Jobs also include bellhops, gift shop clerks, security guards, valet personnel, accountants, front-desk attendants and audio-visual equipment operators.
One job expert predicted 600 people will attend the candidate screening, despite indications that residents are less interested in lower-paying jobs in the current economic climate characterized by a low unemployment rate. Many applicants will already be employed but show up to see if they can get a better job, said Marjorie Skidmore, job service manager of the Virginia Employment Commission in Roanoke.
Skidmore has said companies are having a hard time filling positions paying less than $6 an hour without benefits. But the Hotel Roanoke won't have that problem to the same degree, she said, because it is a prominent historic landmark.
Moreover, the hotel will provide benefits to its full-time employees. It will pay three-fourths of the cost of employees' medical and dental insurance, grant paid vacation leave after the first year and offer life insurance, reimbursement for educational costs and participation in a qualified tax-deferred retirement plan, Walton said.
Some interest in Hotel Roanoke jobs was evident in December, when 500 people attended the hotel's two-day job fair. More recently, 50 people have been receiving training in hotel work, Walton said.
The hotel will be looking for what it called "service-oriented" people "with great hospitality skills."
In keeping with Doubletree's reputation for upscale lodging, front-desk clerks will wear blue blazers and dining room staff will wear white dinner jackets. The hotel will provide employee uniforms.
Those who excel can expect promotions at Hotel Roanoke or another of the more than 100 Doubletree Hotels across the country, Walton said.
"If people want to work hard and they do work hard, we can really provide a great career," Walton said.
by CNB