Macau casinos have been forced to close off thousands of hotel rooms and cut back on guest services like housekeeping, as a labor shortage leaves the gambling hub struggling to cater to a surge of tourists from a newly-reopened China.
Some five-star hotels in Macau’s casinos only have fewer than half of their rooms available for booking, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg, asking not to be identified discussing internal business.
Another operator has about one-fifth of its rooms out of commission, according to Billy Song, president of the Macau Responsible Gaming Association. The lack of service staff is so severe that some hotels have reduced the frequency of maid services, cleaning rooms only after customers check out, he added.
While casino companies hope their hotels will be back operating near capacity by the important summer season, Song said, Macau’s slow hiring process for foreign workers is a key hurdle to fully reopening now that Covid border curbs and restrictions are over.
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