PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — More guests are cooling down at the pool in 90-degree weather at Treasure Bay Resort and Marina this year compared to last year.

“We’re seeing extremely high occupancy and we’re very, very popular once again,” said the hotel VP and general manager Nigel Duffett. 

What You Need To Know

  • Hospitality businesses are dealing with a staff shortage along with an increase in customers

  • County leaders are spreading a message of patience when people dine out, travel, or stay in the Bay area

  • Posters were made to share the message

  • With the increase in signage, comes a decrease in stress

Duffett says it’s a stark difference from last year at this time, but the increase in guests doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in employees to accommodate them.

“Currently we have over 15 vacancies, and normally we would have one or two,” said Duffett.

Less staff means longer waits, and longer waits can mean impatient customers.

“It’s understandable if you are on vacation, you want to have a trouble-free vacation and you don’t want to have to wait for a room to be cleaned before you can get into it, and you don’t want to have to wait a bit longer for a meal,” said Duffett.

It’s an issue not only in Pinellas County, but nationwide since the pandemic hit.

This is why the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce created posters to remind everyone to please be patient.

“We really, I think, came up with something snazzy to show not only the hospitality workforce that we care about how hard they’re working but also our consumers to let them know, this is a great destination,” said Robin Miller, CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce. 

The message is quite simple. 

They want people to look at the poster and remember to slow down, take a deep breath, and remember that things will return to normal soon. 

“We, fortunately, get to live where people vacation, so it does help us locals as well to remember, ‘Let’s take it easy and enjoy everything around us,’” said Miller.

Duffet also said with the increase in signage, comes a decrease in stress.

“Our staff has been very encouraged by it and several guests have talked to us about it,” said Duffett.

Because let’s be honest, where better to chill out, than at the beach?

The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce has also created a one-stop-shop for job placement opportunities to help fill the void.

Visit www.tampabaybeaches.com/jobs for more information, or email your resume to info@tampabaybeaches.com.​