Hotels around the U.S. struggling to staff up before summer crush
CBSN
Hotels around the U.S. are facing a labor crunch as they scramble to accommodate a surge of visitors as more Americans start traveling thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine. Indeed, workers are returning more slowly than guests, leading hotels to offer perks such as signing bonuses in an effort to boost hiring.
"It's been very busy — lots of guests are coming to enjoy this beautiful weather we've had to sit at the pool, hike, golf and just relax," said Laurel Ely, a front desk agent at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a luxury resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. The hotel has been swamped with guests since February, when more Americans started to become vaccinated against COVID-19. Many of the hotel's former workers never returned, however. Some left the city or state, while others left the hospitality industry altogether after business plummeted in after the coronavirus took hold in the spring of 2020.
The peace and tranquility of Muir Woods, just north of San Francisco – home to 500+ acres of old-growth redwoods – make it just about the last place you'd expect to find a fight brewing. "The fact that they're taking down whole groups of signs about climate change and our nation's history is disappointing, and embarrassing," said retired U.S. Park Ranger Lucy Scott In:

We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help identify them, millions of people are using a free phone app. "Currently we have about six million people using the platform every month," said Scott Loarie, the executive director of iNaturalist, a nonprofit.

At ski resorts across the West this winter, viral images showed chairlifts idling over brown terrain in places normally renowned for their frosty appeal. Iconic mountain towns like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, were seen with shockingly bare slopes, as the region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. In:










