By Rayna Katz, Hotstats

Between the rising cost of labor, decreased demand and ever-changing COVID-19 protocols, hotels have taken numerous hits to profitability. Conditions likely are going to remain challenging for some time to come, but Chris Cylke, COO of asset manager RevPAR International, has a quintet of tips for hoteliers to manage costs more effectively.

Contracts should be reevaluated, Cylke advised. That may sound like a replay from the early days of the pandemic, but the time has come to once again renegotiate. “Due to the limited availability of goods and labor, costs are rapidly rising, but rebidding contracts ensures that each vendor is providing the best pricing. Additionally, in some contracts you may be able to lock in firm pricing before costs go up,” he said.

Hours worked on holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays are treated like hours worked on any other day of the week. California law does not require that an employer provide its employees with paid holidays, that it close its business on any holiday, or that employees be given the day off for any particular holiday.

If an employer closes its business on holidays and gives its employees time off from work with pay, such a circumstance exists pursuant to a policy or practice adopted by the employer, pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, or pursuant to the terms of an employment agreement between the employer and employee, as there is nothing in the law that requires such a practice. Additionally, there is nothing in the law that mandates an employer pay an employee a special premium for work performed on a holiday, Saturday, or Sunday, other than the overtime premium required for work performed in excess of eight hours in a workday or 40 hours in a workweek.