The staff are normally based at the Lone Star Hotel on the western side of the Caribbean isle but travel restrictions reducing the number of visitors, combined with the area progressing into its low season, have led to the business becoming overstaffed.
Eight employees will temporarily work at the St Brelade’s Bay Hotel, which this weekend experienced a surge in bookings as a result of new border restrictions being imposed by the UK government on Portugal. Both establishments are owned by Jayne Best, the daughter of former Wigan Athletic Football Club owner Dave Whelan.
Thomas Stene, the general manager of St Brelade’s Bay Hotel, explained how the arrangement came about: ‘The owner of St Brelade’s Bay Hotel also has the Lone Star in Barbados and they are just going into their low season, whereas we are going into our high season. I thought why not get some of their staff to our hotel – it will not only help us out but will also let them travel to Europe and give them a new experience.
‘I spoke to their general manager and sent a list of people I needed and eight in total have come over.’
Mr Stene added that his hotel’s booking lines had recently been busy with UK tourists who had intended to travel to Portugal but had changed their plans.
He said: ‘There is always the risk of new border restrictions coming in. With the emergency brake being activated for Manchester we saw a few cancellations. But our booking lines were extremely busy over the weekend and it looks like people who had planned to travel to Portugal are now changing their plans to come here instead.
‘Bookings for July and August look like they will be at normal levels.
‘My staff have been saying that there are a lot of new people booking who want to have a holiday but stay close to the UK.
‘From the general managers I have spoken to from other hotels [in Jersey] they have also noticed quite a pick-up. It is going to be a busy season.’
As of yesterday the government’s job website showed that there were just over 200 vacancies for hospitality staff. Of those, around 45 listings were for chefs, 30 were for waiters and 13 were for housekeeping staff.
Kristin Boland, general manager of the Lone Star Hotel, said she expected her staff to be in Jersey for between 12 and 16 weeks.
She said: ‘I am so excited to be sending these staff over. These are eight staff who are very deserving. They have given their all to Lone Star. They represent us well and I am so pleased to be sending them over there.
‘This is a new experience for them. They are going to be working in a hotel setting which is a four-star hotel. It is a really good opportunity for them to have different work experience.’
