August 16

How To Find a Better Hotel Staffing Solution

Looking for a new hotel staffing solution, Hotel Interurban turned to Poached Shifts.

From a towering 19 floors high, Hotel Interurban of Columbia Hospitality watches over Seattle’s south side, offering gorgeous views of Mt. Rainer and convenient accommodations for those needing a hotel near the airport.

Additionally, they share the building with apartments increasing their capacity for heavy traffic at the hotel’s restaurant, Rendition, and banquet space.

Hotel Interurban, and other hospitality establishments with high demand, have a paramount need for quality staff, but common staffing insecurities leave too much room for unpredictability.

The Struggle: Finding a Flexible Hotel Staff.

“Like every other restaurant and hotel out there right now, we’re all having staffing issues.” Erik Olsen, Director of Food and Beverage at Hotel Interurban, said.

In addition to a bustling banquet space, operating a large hotel restaurant that doubles as a local hangout for apartment residents requires consistent staffing that can become hard to manage with traditional hiring methods.

When seeking alternative solutions to find the flexibility needed at Hotel Interurban, Olsen faced candidates who didn’t have the necessary qualifications. “Most temp players we’ve used in the past, we get people in who are just not knowledgeable or experienced.” Olsen shared.

In the search for a better hotel staffing solution, Olsen heard about Poached Shifts from a colleague at the Cedarbrook Lodge location within Columbia Hospitality.

The Solution: Managing Staffing Needs with Poached Shifts.

With the flexibility of booking individual staffing needs and the option of hiring those who perform well without additional fees, Olsen was ready to try Poached Shifts.

They began booking banquet servers, line cooks, dishwashers, bussers, and more to fill in during Hotel Interuban’s busy season and better manage the inflow of hotel business and regulars from the apartments.

“We’ve been using Poached Shifts a lot, and it’s been really saving us,” Olsen shared. “Like yesterday, I was short one line cook, and we had someone from Poached come in. He worked out and was awesome — he’s done a very good job.”

Over the series of trying out Poached Shifts as a staffing solution, Olsen found that overall they get a more skilled and experienced worker with Poached than other temp services.

Additionally, after connecting with workers who do a great job, Olsen manages their immediate needs by utilizing the roster feature so that they continue to bring in workers they trust.

“The whole roster situation and making sure we have people we like to come in has been incredibly helpful.”

The Result: A Less Stressful & More Dependability Hotel Staffing Solution.

Since using Poached Shifts, Olsen and the team at Hotel Interurban have hired four people for permanent roles and added four others to their roster to quickly fill immediate openings.

“With Poached, we get quality candidates every single day.” Olsen shared.

When running a busy restaurant within an award-winning hotel–who they hire is essential. Poached Shifts gives Hotel Interurban the dependability they need to find flexible and qualified staff for all their hiring needs.

“Poached has been so incredibly helpful for us, as far as finding a solid person who can actually help out and who’s knowledgeable within their line of work.”

If you’re looking for a better hotel staffing solution that offers a single platform to connect with permanent and flexible workers, contact us today to learn how Poached Shifts can get you the help you need.

About the author

Ashley

Ashley McNally likes to cook, loves to bake, and is always dreaming of her next meal. With over 13 years of experience working in various roles within a restaurant — McNally has made a home in hospitality.


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