Suni Hernandez wipes down a counter in the lobby of the Residence Inn in Concord. (Photo by Jodie Andruskevich)
In her home country of Guatemala, Suni Hernandez is a nurse.
Yet she works in Concord keeping lobbies, hallways and other common areas of a hotel tidy.
The difference is economics. A monthly pay of about $500 at home versus a gross pay of $616 a week in New Hampshire.
So she leaves her husband and four teenage children to work here.
“When COVID-19 hit, my husband got sick,” Hernandez, who is 42, said through an interpreter. “We borrowed money from the bank, so we had a lot of bills. With the money I earn here, I paid those bills. I’m thankful for that.”
Hernandez and two co-workers at Duprey Hospitality, a group of Concord hotels, spoke about their jobs here.
“In our country, it’s difficult to find work where we can earn a lot of money,” said Katherine Guerrero of El Salvador, who translated for two others. “You don’t have much opportunity. It’s difficult if you don’t go to university.”
Before she became a guest worker, Guerrero was a waitress, which paid about $800 a month. The pay was good, but work was sporadic: work one month, off for three.
She has a 12-year-old son at home, who lives with his grandmother. She sends most of the money she earns in New Hampshire back home to her family.
The guest workers are the hardest workers at the hotels, and they bring a good attitude with them, said Alexa Kaiser, the company’s human resources director.
Duprey Hospitality must clear several steps before it can hire guest workers, including advertising locally to fill the jobs. Kaiser said no one applies.
The company must pay the prevailing wage set by the U.S. Labor Department, which for housekeepers in Concord is $15.41 an hour.
And they must provide visa fees, transportation and housing for the workers. They charge the workers housing, between $100 and $125 a week.
Another benefit for the workers:
They get to experience the United States.
“Everything,” Emilia Albisurez answered when asked what she liked about the United States.
Duprey Hospitality takes several steps to bond with its guest workers, hoping they will return to work for them the following year.
They have taken them to Ellacoya State Park, a Fisher Cats game and the Conway area. But their favorite outing is shopping.
