Starting next week, hotel employers in Irvine must be ready to implement additional requirements of the city’s new Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance – including stringent workload limitations for room attendants. While certain obligations such as the requirement to provide personal security devices to workers kicked in late last year, other sections of the Ordinance governing room attendants and their workload limitations are set to take effect 180 days upon signing – which is coming up on May 21. What are the 10 steps that Irvine hotel employers should consider taking in order to ensure compliance with the law?
Overview of New Law: Staggered Obligations
As mentioned in our article late last year, the Irvine City Council passed the Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance in 2022. It applies to all Irvine hotels, except for those that have fewer than 45 guest rooms or those who successfully obtain a hardship waiver with the City of Irvine. Some of the obligations for employers became effective in December 2022, while the workload limitation requirement is one of several provisions taking effect on May 21.
Workload Limitations and Square Footage Quotas
Beginning May 21, Irvine hotels must limit workloads for room attendants based on square footage. These square footage quotas can change and are highly specific. The Ordinance also imposes maximum room cleaning quotas, depending on the size of the hotel itself.
For example, for hotels with 45 to 59 guest rooms, a room attendant...
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