Hotels hiring on P.E.I. as another busy tourism season approaches

The Tourism Industry Association of PEI (TIAPEI) held its annual job fair Saturday, and all indications are that it's going to be another busy summer on the Island.

"There are whole swaths of the June, July and August where we're already fully committed," said Joshua Hooper, guest services manager at the Holman Grand Hotel in Charlottetown.

"It's going to be a great summer."

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Hundreds of job seekers turned out for the job fair at the Delta Prince Edward on Saturday.

Hooper said the Holman Grand is looking to fill about a dozen full-time positions this summer.

"This is definitely more than usual," he said.

I find housekeeping tends to be one of the harder positions to fill because young people don't want to go and clean rooms.- Isaac MacEachern

But some positions are hard to fill, said Isaac MacEachern, guest services manager at the Rodd Crowbush in Morell.

"I find housekeeping tends to be one of the harder positions to fill because young people don't want to go and clean rooms," he said.

"And also they want to spend their summer going out, and they don't want to wake up in the morning … and that's integral, the early-morning stuff."

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Many of the employers at the job fair said quality cooks and kitchen staff can be hard to find in the summer, as well. With more cruise ships coming this summer than last, there will be more people needed to staff restaurants.

To help address that challenge, TIAPEI is holding a culinary job fair March 30 at the Charlottetown Inn and Conference Centre.

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