Job seekers flock to the Ritz
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- November
- 27
Danielle Pearson of the Bronx is studying interior design at Kean University in Union, N.J. and would like to get into the hospitality industry, a wish that took her to The Ritz-Carlton Westchester in downtown White Plains today.
Pearson had a lot of company. Hundreds of people applied for jobs and met with managers at the hotel during a four-hour jobs fair.
Though the Ritz promoted the fair as an opportunity for folks to seek jobs at the hotel’s restaurant, BLT Steak, people seeking other jobs throughout the luxury hotel also met with managers.
Jacqueline Sanders, the general manager of the hotel, said about half the 100 or so jobs in the restaurant have been filled. The hotel will have about 254 total employees when it opens Dec. 19, she said. About 80 of those jobs remain unfilled, she said.
“This is a great turnout,� she said, standing in the lobby where smiling applicants tried to impress hiring managers. “I think it helps that a lot of the construction fencing (outside the hotel) has been taken down. That makes people realize we’re really very close to opening.
“We could get 30 or 40 people out of this process, if it works well,� she said.
The hotel has gotten about 3,000 applicants since January, she said.
In Pearson, the hotel got an eager applicant. “I want to learn the ins and outs of hotels,� she said.









