Steamboat Resort in Colorado is boosting its employee housing program. The resort is using its housing program as a draw, or perk, to attract new employees as the ski industry faces a widescale worker shortage. It is no secret that the exceptionally high cost of living in mountain towns is one of the primary factors in the industry’s labor crisis.
According to a report from Ski Hi News, Steamboat is seeking to house more employees than ever before. The Ponds at Steamboat is the employee housing complex owned by the resort. Employees can choose between four, five, and six-person units. There will be two or three people to one room within the unit.
According to the report, the arrangement sounds cozy at best. Three ski resort employees stuffed into these rooms.
Employees in a one-bedroom unit with two people will pay $725 per month per person, $475 per person for a standard unit with four people, $515 per person for a remodeled unit with four people, $440 per person for a five-person unit with two-person rooms, $340 per person for a five-person unit with three-person rooms and $320 per person for a six-person unit. – Sky Hi News
Steamboat has raised the starting wage from $12/hour to $15/hour. That said, employee housing costs have also risen approximately 45% since 2018. The Steamboat HR department states that the increase still keeps the housing costs well below market value.
Images from: The Ponds At Steamboat Facebook Page, Steamboat Resort Facebook Page
