Employment in the Querétaro hotel industry still 13% below the pre-pandemic level

Queretaro, Qro. After almost three years of the first impact that the pandemic had on the hotel sector, it is still 13% below the workforce it had before the contingency, according to information from the Queretana Association of Hoteliers (AQH).

Currently, the AQH establishments employ 3,900 people, 600 less in relation to the 4,500 direct jobs that were held in 2019, explained the president of the association, Luis Signoret Luna.

“Regarding jobs, we come with an important recovery factor, (…) at this moment we should be at 3,900 direct jobs, this means that we are already very close to recovery by 2023,” he stated.

Therefore, the businessman hoped that in 2023 the recovery of the sector would be achieved both in job creation and in hotel occupancy.

Currently, the AQH brings together 59 hotels in the state that together provide an offer of 7,400 rooms. However, the number of members could increase since there are five hotels interested in joining the association.

“They are not new hotels, there are five more possible partners in the portfolio to join, they are already established hotels in Querétaro that are interested in collaborating,” he said.

Regarding investments for the sector, Luis Signoret specified that he is aware of three projects: two that are on hold due to the pandemic and a third investment project that is considering settling in the entity.

In this sense, it is expected that next year will be positive for the sector and allow investments that are detained to be released.

“I have on my radar two or three (hotels) that have stopped a little for reasons of the pandemic, one of them is on (boulevard) Bernardo Quintana and Calzada de Los Arcos, if all goes well next year it should be taking off that hotel. Another one that is under construction, the Jardín de los Platos. And there is a third party that visualizes the possibility of reaching Querétaro, it is still in negotiations, ”he explained.

In relation to the growth of this sector in the metropolitan municipality of Corregidora, the president of the AQH explained that together with the municipal administration there is an interest in encouraging the growth of this sector.

At the moment the association has only one partner in this municipality, but they are looking for investors who wish to settle in this area.

“We are trying to find investors who come with the intention of being able to invest in Corregidora, because it comes with a strong impulse and with interesting projects, it is growing a lot, significant growth is coming in Corregidora,” he said.

Faced with the end of the year, the AQH estimates that the sector will conclude 2022 with a turnover of 1,470 million pesos, a figure that is 3% distant from the spill of 2019.

It is also expected to close the year with an average occupancy of 56%, one percentage point below the 57% in 2019.