If I were a bellman, I'd seriously consider moving to New Orleans, where bell wages post-Katrina have risen 95 percent, according to a a survey Wagewatch conducted for a group of New Orleans hotels (of course, I have no idea what they got paid pre-Katrina in New Orleans, so this might not be such a great deal; just a better deal than it used to be).
While bellmen are seeing the largest increases, wages also are on the rise for everyone from housekeeping to front desk people. That's because there's still a huge shortage of hospitality industry workers in New Orleans, and the city needs to attract folks so it can get its convention and tourism business going again. According to Wagewatch, room attendant and housekeeping wages increased 29 percent, and front desk and night auditor wages were up 22 and 21 percent, respectively.