Marriott International brings forward pay rises to attract the best talent

The Marriott International will bring forward pay rises for its 2500 strong hotel staff. 

While the Fair Work Commission mandated wage increases in the minimum wage of between 4.6 per cent and 5.2 per cent (about $40 per week) to come into effect for the hospitality industry on 1 October, as opposed to 1 July for other industries, the Marriott is fast tracking the move.

The hotel giant follows in the footsteps of Australia’s largest pub owner, Endeavour Group, which also brought forward pay rises for its 15,000 pub and club workers.

The move by both parties comes at a time when hospitality owners look to get on the front foot to attract and retain staff, while shortages are still biting. 

“It’s a very tight labour market and very competitive,” Local Marriott boss Sean Hunt said.

“We are all competing for a finite pool of labour. The reality is that our need [for staff] is greater than the supply of labour,” Marriott’s area vice president for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific continued.

While the hospitality industry was given a few months grace by the Commission as it looks to recover from COVID lockdowns and restrictions, it is expected that many venue owners will follow suit in bringing the pay rises forward. 

Marriott can certainly afford to. It is actively recruiting for 400 staff to add to its 3300 every few months.

By getting on the front foot, the hotel chain believes it can attract good talent ahead of the curve.

Marriott will likely need hundreds of staff moving forward for its Ritz-Carlton hotels in Melbourne and Perth ventures, along with a W Hotel in Sydney.

The Marriott will apply wage increases on 1 July, a change that, according to The Australian Financial Review, will add at least $100,000 a week to its wage bill, or about $1.2 million over the three months from 1 July to 30 September. 

The Marriott will fill a broad range of vacancies including in food and beverage, reservations, housekeeping, engineering, marketing and finance.

Irit Jackson, 29^th June 2022