Some Oklahoma Hotels Struggle With Labor Shortages, Supply Chain Issues

Some Oklahoma hotels are seeing supply chain issues and labor shortages as tourism picks back up in the state. With the uptick in tourism comes a demand for more food, supplies and other things, but right now all of that is hard to find.

Oklahoma isn’t the only state struggling, there are shortages and supply issues in hotels across the country as tourism is picking up while COVID-19 cases are down.

Jim hopper with the Oklahoma Hotel and Lodging Association said many hotels in the state don’t have enough people to cover all positions, making room turnaround times longer or capping how many people can book a stay at one time.

“Hotels have struggled with staff just like a lot of other industries have struggled with staffing and there may be instances where they may not be able to open all their rooms because they can’t service all their rooms,” Hopper said.

According to Hopper, supply chain issues are also a problem. He said hotels aren’t able to get food, cleaning supplies, or even things like new towels due to shortages. He said even if these hotels do find what they need, inflation is often making the items too expensive to buy in large quantities.

“They’re doing the best they can,” Hopper said. “Now is not the time to go on social media and say the service at this hotel was not good or I wasn’t happy with it, you just have to be patient.”