Marriott customers: Please change the maid

Tampa - Evelyn Thomas, 60, spent two decades cleaning up after people like housekeeper. But they were harder 15 years after the cleaning guests.

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"I do not care where you go, a lady is a difficult task in a hotel," he said, "because you. To clean up after people who do not care"

The hotel chain Marriott believes he has a way to take care of the people more, to encourage them to change their maid.

Begin brands Marriott International Inc., as a Courtyard by Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Residence Inn leave envelopes containing the names of the participants in the room for the customer to give a tip. The program is the use of more than 1,000 hotels around the country this week, including local institutions such as the Tampa Airport Marriott.

The program is made to close the gap of the freedom of the hospitality industry a joint effort with the nation of a woman, an interest group by the former First Lady of California Maria Shriver. Men work as hunters and valet routine counseling, while customers often forget these jobs predominate as a maid women.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association recommends tilting girl $ 1 to $ 5 per night.

But the reality, according to Loyola University New Orleans Visiting Professor Ali Bustamante, hospitality is not a high-wage sector.

"If you look look at the big picture," he said, "This is really one of the lowest-wage sector in the state and the country."

In 2013, the average annual salary for the hospitality industry in the state was $ 25,000 according to a report in June that Bustamante wrote for the Research Institute of Florida International University on social policy and economic.

The report shows that 70 percent of hotel workers - industries such as entertainment, food and accommodation - earn less than $ 30,000 per year.

Tampa employment lawyer Sue Esposito said, the advanced program seems to be a way to pay more for some of the lowest paid in the hospitality industry, without salary increase workers.

"I think this might be a way to try to household income, without the cost supplement to the hotel," he said. "There can only be a question of sex but also a minority issue not to be. A number of girls who are Latino or African American."

The wage situation of girls is changing, said Bob Morrison, executive director of the Association of Hillsborough County Hotel and Motel. Luxury hotels that have the girls go more impact than any other employee on the customer, said. As they begin to offer better wages, benefits and rewards such as free meals.

"Promote and support the maintenance staff is that customers expect as part of the service component that is recognized," he said. "In a way, it is just an extension of a tradition in the cruise industry."

On ships, administrators rooms are systematically inclined. And some hotels are already encouraging customers to tip over budget.

"I think it takes some time," said Jerry Reimers, who was on Monday at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Tampa.

Thomas worked as a housekeeper at the former Holiday Inn on Fowler Avenue, University of South Florida. She left it for about seven years after the ownership and management have changed, and drew a clientele that is not very good, the tip. She now works at MaidPro, a cleaning service.

Makes you back about $ 7.50 per hour to his days Holiday Inn, but said it could make during the holidays as much as an additional $ 100 a day in tips.

Thomas said the free program Marriott "would be nice." But we have never had a job he was loved. It was to clean 21 rooms about eight hours.

"If you go to 8 and you have to be a 4, you will want to get up to 4," she said. "You do not want want it at 16:05 clock have it., If you do it three or four times, if you are late, you're fired, are."

When researcher John Martin and staff writer Jimmy Geurts contributed to this report. Contact Jamal Thalji thalji@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3404. Suivezjthalji.

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