We were all pleased to hear of the reopening of the White Hart Inn and happy to see its lights on once again. John Ciliberto, the new general manager, and Dan Winkley, the hotel manager, met years ago while working at the Mayflower Inn and have many years of experience in the hotel and food and beverage industries. They are now overseeing this welcome rebirth.
There are many challenges in running an inn and restaurant in our corner of Connecticut. The new owners know that the hospitality business is all about people and relationships. One of the most serious challenges faced by them and many other local businesses is finding the right people to fill diverse staff positions.
John says, “We have not been able to find qualified people in town looking for the types of jobs we are offering. The local people we’ve have hired are generally young and living at home with their families. Their lives are in transition and, after being trained, they are usually off to school or college. It’s difficult to find people interested in a long-term job commitment. Due to the high cost of housing, most of our employees live 45 to 60 minutes away. Long commutes have a major impact on a person’s quality of life and make it more difficult for us to attract and retain these workers. To remain competitive in the labor market we have to offer higher pay and more attractive working conditions to compensate for the time and cost of their commutes. This, of course, increases our operating costs.”
Ciliberto notes, “if more affordable housing were within 15-20 minutes it would definitely help our business.”
This article was published in The Lakeville Journal on 11/5/15.