Hotel Sorrento paying thousands upfront to secure rentals for staff
Pubs and fine diners on the Mornington Peninsula are taking drastic steps to keep serving amid a skills and housing shortage.
South East
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Chefs are commuting from Melbourne or living in rooms meant for guests as a rental crisis grips the Mornington Peninsula.
A pair of chefs has been living at Hotel Sorrento for about a year because they have been unable to find accommodation in the region.
The couple, who are expecting their first child, have finally secured a rental property in Rye.
But it took four months rent paid in advance by their employer to seal the deal.
Hotel Sorrento operations manager Bridget Bailey said it was difficult to attract and keep experienced staff because there was nowhere for them to live.
“There have been chefs working with us who were commuting from Melbourne,” she said.
“That’s not ideal and we tried to work around it by bundling their shifts together and finding somewhere for them to stay locally part of the week.”
The staff shortage has also impacted menus.
The breakfast service was put on ice 12 months ago because of a lack of kitchen and front of house staff.
The decision upset return guests looking forward to starting the day with a buffet and the hotel’s conference clients wanting the efficiency of dining in.
At nearby fine diner Morgans, consulting chef Paul Wilson has had to scale back his menu to match the skill level of staff and manage limited stock.
Wilson, who is known for pushing culinary boundaries, said the menu had been simplified from fancy fish dishes to “pub-style comfort food”.
He said a 2020 recruiting campaign did not attract a single experienced applicant as JobKeeper made working less appealing for hospitality staff.
“We ended up with a kitchen made up of skilled migrants who were switching fields in order to meet visa requirements,” Wilson said.
“I’m basically teaching accountants and maths teachers and marketers how to cook.”
Front of house staff are forced to commute, some from as far away as Craigieburn.
Morgans offers free parking and pays staff employed through agencies a travel allowance.
The handful of local staff have also struggled with accommodation.
Wilson said four senior staff, who have been with Morgans for seven years, endured an eight month search to find a rental after being evicted because the owner wanted to renovate.
O’Briens Real Estate Rye managing director Anastacia Howard said the business had no rental vacancies and a long waiting list or potential tenants.
“We’ve never had a list this long before,” she said.
“And to say that we genuinely have no vacancies is rare too.”
Ms Howard said normally the agency had at least 10 properties on the books being rented by hospitality operators for their staff.
“There are none at the moment,” she said.
The battle to find accommodation for staff will intensify later this year when the revamped Continental Hotel opens.
Hotel Continental Development Consortium’s Robert Dicintio said the business would be looking for 200 full and part-time workers.
He was expecting a mix of locals and out of towners to apply for roles.
“Affordable long term accommodation shortages is definitely a concern as more people are choosing to live in the area permanently,” Mr Dicintio said.
He said competition for limited holiday rentals had also increased in the wake of travel bans.