Hotel staffing in 2026 looks stable on the surface.
Underneath, it isn’t.
U.S. hotels employ fewer people than they did before the pandemic. Most have raised pay. Many still say they’re short.
And the job that’s hardest to fill hasn’t changed: housekeeping.
This article pulls together the latest federal data and hotel industry surveys to show where hotel staffing stands, who does the work, and what employers can do about it.
It also looks at where long-term options fit, including sponsoring foreign workers for permanent housekeeping roles through the EB-3 visa.
Key facts
- U.S. hotels and other lodging employed 1,916,500 people in September 2026 (preliminary), against 2,107,800 in February 2020. (BLS via FRED)
- Hotel employment peaked at 1,946,200 in April 2025 and has slipped since. (BLS via FRED)
- In early 2026, 70% of hoteliers were offering higher wages, and 42% still named workforce shortages as a financial pressure. (AHLA, March 2026)
- Housekeeping topped hotels’ hiring needs in every AHLA survey that broke out roles, from January 2024 to January 2025. (AHLA, February 2025)
- 69.3% of housekeeping jobs require no minimum education, and only 7.7% require prior experience. (BLS, 2025)
Hotels never got back to their 2020 workforce
Hotel staffing is still below where it was before the pandemic. As of September 2026, the gap still hasn’t closed.
In February 2020, U.S. hotels, motels and other lodging employed 2,107,800 people.
Two months later, that number had fallen to 1,199,100.
The industry rebuilt steadily after that. It reached 1,946,200 in April 2025, its highest level since the pandemic. Then it slipped. By September 2026, employment was 1,916,500 (preliminary).
That leaves the industry 191,300 jobs smaller than in February 2020, and 29,700 below its 2025 peak.
Three years in a narrow band
The more surprising part is how little hotel employment has moved lately.
Since 2023, it has stayed between roughly 1.91 million and 1.95 million.
| Month | Hotel and lodging employment | Note |
|---|---|---|
| February 2020 | 2,107,800 | Before the pandemic |
| April 2020 | 1,199,100 | Pandemic low |
| September 2023 | 1,911,000 | |
| September 2024 | 1,926,600 | |
| April 2025 | 1,946,200 | Highest since the pandemic |
| September 2025 | 1,921,400 | |
| December 2025 | 1,938,500 | |
| January 2026 | 1,930,400 | |
| June 2026 | 1,916,100 | |
| July 2026 | 1,913,400 | |
| August 2026 | 1,920,100 | |
| September 2026 | 1,916,500 | Preliminary |
September 2026 employment was only 5,500 higher than in September 2023.
In other words, the industry has spent three years roughly where it is now. The steep recovery ended well short of 2020.
Why this matters for hiring plans: A gap that has lasted three years isn’t seasonal. Short-term fixes, like agency staff or temporary visas for peak months, cover busy periods. They don’t fill year-round positions that stay open.
That’s where permanent options come in. The EB-3 visa is for full-time, permanent jobs, not temporary or seasonal work. Hotels that already use H-2B workers for seasonal peaks can also sponsor their best H-2B employees for permanent residence.
What the gap does and doesn’t mean
A smaller headcount is not the same as 191,300 empty positions.
Some of the difference may reflect weaker demand. U.S. hotel occupancy averaged 62.3% in 2025, down 1.2% from 2024, according to CoStar. It was the first full-year occupancy decline since 2020.
Some may reflect hotels that changed how they run, for example by cleaning rooms less often during a stay.
The BLS data doesn’t say how much of the gap comes from each. What it does show is that the industry is running with far fewer people than it did in 2020, and hoteliers keep telling surveys they’re short.
Hotels raised pay. The gaps stayed.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) surveys hoteliers regularly. The results have been consistent.
Most hotels have raised wages. Most still report shortages.
| AHLA survey (release date) | Hoteliers surveyed | Reporting a staffing shortage | Severely understaffed | Pay action | Housekeeping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2024 (fielded Jan. 8-18, 2024) | 408 | 67% | 12% | 82% raised wages in the prior six months | Top hiring need for 48% |
| June 2024 (fielded May 16-24, 2024) | 456 | 76% | 13% | 86% raised wages in the prior six months | Top hiring need for 50% |
| February 2025 (fielded Dec. 6, 2024 to Jan. 3, 2025) | 282 | 65% | 9% | 47% named higher wages as their main strategy | 38% of reported shortages |
| March 2026 (fielded late February 2026) | 246 | “More than half” somewhat or severely understaffed | Not reported | 70% offering higher wages | Not reported |
Each survey had a different sample, and the questions about pay and roles were worded differently, so read each row as its own snapshot rather than as one trend line.
In early 2024, 72% of hotels said they still couldn’t fill open positions, averaging nine openings per property.
A year later, the figure was 71%, with six to seven openings per property.
The number of openings per hotel came down. The share of hotels that couldn’t fill them barely moved.
Pay wasn’t the only lever
Hotels tried more than raises.
In the February 2024 survey, 59% offered more flexible hours, and 33% expanded benefits.
By the March 2026 survey, 54% offered flexible scheduling, 54% offered hotel discounts and 31% offered enhanced benefits.
Higher pay has its own cost
By 2026, pay had become a bigger worry than staffing itself.
In AHLA’s March 2026 survey, 65% of hoteliers named labor costs as a financial pressure. Workforce shortages came in at 42%.
That’s the squeeze hotel operators are in.
Raising wages is the most common answer to a shortage, and nearly every hotel has used it. But each raise adds to the cost line that owners now worry about most. With occupancy down in 2025, according to CoStar, there’s less room to keep paying more.
This is also where some employers misread sponsorship. EB-3 isn’t a way to lower labor costs. Sponsoring employers must offer at least the prevailing wage for the job and area, set by the Department of Labor.
What sponsorship can add is a source of workers beyond the local labor pool, at the same wage standard. Employers can estimate the wage for a housekeeping role with our prevailing wage calculator.
Housekeeping is the hardest job to fill
When AHLA asks which roles hotels need most, the answer has been the same.
In January 2024, 48% of hoteliers ranked housekeeping as their top hiring need. In May 2024, it was 50%.
In the survey released in February 2025, housekeeping made up 38% of reported shortages, ahead of front desk (26%), culinary (14%) and maintenance (13%).
AHLA’s 2026 release didn’t break shortages out by role.
That makes housekeeping the one role that kept coming up first in every AHLA breakdown available. It’s the job a hotel can’t skip, because rooms have to be cleaned before they can be sold.
What the job asks of workers
Housekeeping is open to almost anyone willing to learn.
According to BLS, 69.3% of these jobs require no minimum education. The rest, 30.7%, require a high school diploma.
Only 7.7% require prior work experience, and 97.8% include on-the-job training.
It’s also physically hard.
| Job requirement (2025) | Share of maid and housekeeping jobs |
|---|---|
| Average share of the workday spent standing | 95.2% |
| Reaching at or below shoulder height | 98.6% |
| Working in low postures | More than 95% |
| Climbing ramps or stairs | 36.1% |
| Driving | 13.0% |
| No minimum education | 69.3% |
| Prior work experience | 7.7% |
| On-the-job training | 97.8% |
Low entry barriers make housekeeping easy to start.
The physical load makes it hard to stay in. That combination is one reason hotels can hire people and still feel short.
Why housekeeping fits the EB-3 visa
These job requirements line up with the EB-3 visa’s “Other Workers” category. It covers permanent jobs that require less than two years of training or experience (EB-3 visa).
Housekeeping fits that description closely. Most jobs need no minimum education (69.3%), very few need experience (7.7%), and nearly all include on-the-job training (97.8%), according to BLS.
That makes housekeeping one of the hotel roles best suited to EB-3 sponsorship. Many skilled roles, by contrast, require credentials that are harder to document.
Who cleans America’s hotel rooms
The housekeeping workforce looks very different from the U.S. workforce as a whole.
| Metric (2025) | Maids and housekeeping cleaners | All U.S. workers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed | 1,392,000 | 163,493,000 | BLS CPS Table 11 |
| Women | 86.4% | 47.1% | BLS CPS Table 11 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 49.8% | 20.0% | BLS CPS Table 11 |
| Median age | 46.2 | 42.1 | BLS CPS Table 11b |
| Median weekly earnings, full time | $690 | $1,204 | BLS CPS Table 39 |
These figures cover maids and housekeeping cleaners in all industries, not only hotels. The 2025 averages exclude October, when data wasn’t collected during the federal government shutdown.
An older, mostly female workforce
Nearly nine in 10 housekeepers are women.
Their median age, 46.2, is four years older than the typical U.S. worker’s.
An older workforce in a physical job means employers can’t count on the same people staying for decades. Every worker who retires or moves to lighter work has to be replaced.
For hotels, that turns into a planning question. Retirements can be anticipated years ahead. A sponsorship process that also takes years can be timed to replace that experience as it leaves, instead of reacting after a position opens.
Pay well below the typical worker
Full-time maids and housekeeping cleaners earned a median $690 a week in 2025.
That’s a little more than half the $1,204 median for all full-time wage and salary workers.
Women in the job earned a median $671 a week. Men earned $789.
BLS counted 782,000 maids working full time in 2025, out of 1,392,000 employed.
Immigrant workers are overrepresented
Building and grounds cleaning jobs account for 7.0% of foreign-born workers’ employment, compared with 2.7% for native-born workers.
The difference is sharper for women. These jobs make up 8.7% of employment for foreign-born women, against 1.9% for native-born women.
BLS doesn’t publish this figure for maids alone, so it covers janitors and groundskeepers too. Still, it points to a cleaning workforce that leans heavily on immigrant labor.
Many hotel employers already depend on immigrant workers. EB-3 sponsorship is a way to recruit for those roles through a formal, permanent pathway. The worker arrives as a green card holder, with work authorization that doesn’t need to be renewed.
The churn behind the numbers
In September 2026, the quit rate for accommodation and food services, the group that includes hotels and restaurants, jumped to 5.0% (preliminary), the highest of any private industry. The rate for all private employers was 2.3%.
Hiring and separations rose at the same time.
| Month | Hires | Total separations | Quits |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 766,000 (5.4%) | 687,000 (4.8%) | 488,000 (3.4%) |
| June 2026 | 722,000 (5.0%) | 774,000 (5.4%) | 589,000 (4.1%) |
| July 2026 | 767,000 (5.4%) | 746,000 (5.2%) | 527,000 (3.7%) |
| August 2026 | 721,000 (5.0%) | 688,000 (4.8%) | 522,000 (3.6%) |
| September 2026 (preliminary) | 879,000 (6.1%) | 883,000 (6.2%) | 719,000 (5.0%) |
Accommodation and food services, seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS JOLTS Table 2 (hires), Table 3 (separations) and Table 4 (quits), released November 3, 2026.
In September 2026, the industry hired 879,000 people and lost 883,000.
For all private employers, both rates were 3.7%. Hotels and restaurants are hiring and losing workers far faster than the economy as a whole.
That’s the picture of an industry running to stand still. Employers fill jobs every month, and nearly as many people leave.
The September spike is preliminary and may be revised. In August, the quits rate was 3.6%. A single month shouldn’t be read as a new trend.
A note for employers considering sponsorship: a green card doesn’t tie a worker to one employer once they’re a permanent resident. EB-3 can bring in workers who’ve committed to relocating for a specific job.
Keeping them still depends on the same things that keep any housekeeper: pay, schedules, workload and how they’re treated. Sponsorship works best combined with the retention steps below, not as a substitute for them.
For a closer look at openings and quits across the whole industry, see our hospitality labor shortage analysis.
Hotel staffing snapshot
| Measure | Figure | Source / date |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel and lodging employment | 1,916,500 | BLS via FRED, Sept. 2026 (preliminary) |
| Same, before the pandemic | 2,107,800 | BLS via FRED, Feb. 2020 |
| Post-pandemic peak | 1,946,200 | BLS via FRED, April 2025 |
| U.S. hotel occupancy | 62.3% (down 1.2%) | CoStar, full year 2025 |
| Hotels offering higher wages | 70% | AHLA, early 2026 |
| Hotels naming labor costs as a financial pressure | 65% | AHLA, early 2026 |
| Hotels naming shortages as a financial pressure | 42% | AHLA, early 2026 |
| Housekeeping jobs needing no minimum education | 69.3% | BLS ORS, 2025 |
| Housekeeping jobs needing prior experience | 7.7% | BLS ORS, 2025 |
| Quits rate, accommodation and food services | 5.0% | BLS JOLTS, Sept. 2026 (preliminary) |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work in U.S. hotels in 2026?
About 1.92 million. BLS counted 1,916,500 people employed in accommodation, which includes hotels and motels, in September 2026 (preliminary). That includes every role, from housekeeping to management.
Is there still a hotel staffing shortage in 2026?
Hoteliers say yes. In AHLA’s early 2026 survey, more than half reported being somewhat or severely understaffed, and 42% named workforce shortages as a financial pressure. Hotel employment is also still 191,300 below its February 2020 level, according to BLS data.
Has hotel employment recovered since COVID?
Not fully. Hotels employed 2,107,800 people in February 2020 and 1,916,500 in September 2026. Employment has stayed between roughly 1.91 million and 1.95 million since 2023. Part of the gap may reflect lower demand or changes in how hotels operate, such as less frequent room cleaning. The data doesn’t show how much comes from each cause.
Why did hotel employment slip in 2025 and 2026?
The employment data doesn’t explain the reason. One likely factor is softer demand: U.S. hotel occupancy fell 1.2% in 2025 to 62.3%, the first full-year decline since 2020, according to CoStar. Hoteliers also reported ongoing staffing shortages in AHLA’s 2026 survey.
Why is it so hard to hire hotel housekeepers?
The work is physically demanding and pays well below average. Housekeepers stand for an average of 95.2% of the workday, and full-time maids earn a median $690 a week, against $1,204 for all full-time workers. Housekeeping led AHLA’s lists of hotel hiring needs in 2024 and early 2025.
Do hotel housekeepers need experience or a degree?
Usually not. BLS reports that 69.3% of maid and housekeeping jobs require no minimum education, and only 7.7% require prior work experience. Almost all, 97.8%, include on-the-job training.
How much do hotel housekeepers make?
BLS reports that full-time maids and housekeeping cleaners earned a median of $690 a week in 2025, across all industries. Women in the job earned $671, and men earned $789.
What percentage of hotel housekeepers are women?
Among maids and housekeeping cleaners in all industries, 86.4% were women in 2025, according to BLS. That compares with 47.1% of all employed workers.
What is the turnover rate in the hotel industry?
There’s no official, current turnover rate for hotels alone. The closest federal measure combines hotels and restaurants: in September 2026, accommodation and food services had a quits rate of 5.0% and a total separations rate of 6.2%, both preliminary. Those are monthly rates.
Do hotel workers quit more than other workers?
Yes, based on the closest available measure. Accommodation and food services had a quits rate of 5.0% in September 2026 (preliminary), the highest of any private industry. The rate for all private employers was 2.3%.
Are hotels still hiring in 2026?
Yes, heavily. Accommodation and food services hired 879,000 people in September 2026 (preliminary), a hires rate of 6.1%, against 3.7% for all private employers. Separations were nearly the same, at 883,000.
Can hotels sponsor housekeepers for an EB-3 green card?
Yes. Housekeeping can qualify under the EB-3 “Other Workers” category, which covers jobs that need little training or experience. Employers must pay at least the prevailing wage and complete PERM labor certification first. Because of annual visa limits, the process takes many months, often years, from start to arrival. Current timelines are on our EB-3 processing times page.
How long does EB-3 sponsorship take for a hotel housekeeper?
Currently it takes 50+ months from the first filing to the worker’s arrival. The process has several stages: a prevailing wage determination, local recruitment, PERM labor certification, the Form I-140 petition, and waiting for a visa number under the Visa Bulletin. Current timelines for each step are on our EB-3 processing times page.
Do hotels have to recruit U.S. workers before sponsoring through EB-3?
Yes. Before filing for PERM labor certification, the employer must test the local labor market by advertising the job and considering U.S. applicants. If qualified, willing and available U.S. workers apply, the position can’t be certified for sponsorship. The steps are explained in our guide to EB-3 local recruitment.
What This Means for Hotel Employers
The data points to a few practical moves.
1. Measure turnover by department. Federal figures combine hotels and restaurants, and there’s no official hotel-only turnover rate. Your own numbers will tell you more than any industry average. Track housekeeping separately from front desk and food service, and look at how long new hires stay in their first months.
2. Look hard at the physical side of the job. Housekeepers stand for 95% of their shift, and their median age is 46.2. Lighter carts and equipment, realistic room quotas and well-planned schedules can help keep experienced workers longer. Losing a trained housekeeper means starting the training over with someone new.
3. Pair pay with predictability. Most hotels already raised wages, and 65% now name labor costs as a financial pressure. Flexible scheduling, which 54% of hotels offer, and stable hours are levers beyond pay. For a workforce that is mostly women, predictable shifts can matter as much as the hourly rate.
4. Train and supervise in the workforce’s language. About half of housekeepers are Hispanic or Latino. Bilingual training materials and bilingual supervisors can shorten the learning curve and help retention. Clear communication also matters for safety in a job this physical.
5. Build a path up. Housekeeping requires little formal education, and 97.8% of these jobs include on-the-job training. That makes it a natural starting point for inspector, supervisor and other roles. A visible next step gives people a reason to stay.
6. Consider permanent sponsorship for a core team. For hotels planning years ahead, EB-3 sponsorship is one way to build a stable, year-round housekeeping team. The role fits the visa’s Other Workers category: most housekeeping jobs need no minimum education and no prior experience.
The process currently takes 50+ months. The employer must pay at least the prevailing wage and recruit locally first. And the job must be permanent and full time, not seasonal.
Hotels that see a gap lasting years, like the one in the BLS data, can start the process now for positions they expect to need later. Our EB-3 employer eligibility calculator is a quick first check.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Accommodation (CES7072100001), via FRED: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/CES7072100001.txt
- American Hotel & Lodging Association, “65% of Surveyed Hotels Report Staffing Shortages,” February 20, 2025: https://www.ahla.com/news/65-surveyed-hotels-report-staffing-shortages
- American Hotel & Lodging Association, “76% of Surveyed Hotels Report Staffing Shortages,” June 10, 2024: https://www.ahla.com/news/76-surveyed-hotels-report-staffing-shortages
- American Hotel & Lodging Association, “67% of Surveyed Hotels Report Staffing Shortages,” February 5, 2024: https://www.ahla.com/news/67-surveyed-hotels-report-staffing-shortages
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (2025): https://www.bls.gov/ors/factsheet/maids-and-housekeeping-cleaners.htm
