1,000 line up at Plaza Hotel job fair

With the confidence of years as a hotel general manager, Mark Davis put on a dark suit and a blue tie Monday to apply for a job at the Plaza Hotel — not to run the place, but for a front-desk job.

Davis and his wife moved here from California because of her job transfer, but he had nothing lined up and has been unemployed for more than a year.

“I’ve applied for anything and everything. I’m at the end of my rope,” he said. “They’re just not hiring general managers out here.”

Davis was one of more than 1,000 job seekers who turned out for the first day of a two-week job fair at the Plaza, which plans to hire 800 people as it gears up for a September reopening after being closed for a year of renovations.

With unemployment in the valley at 12.4 percent, lines started forming at 5:30 a.m., more than three hours before the fair opened. Many were turned away in the early hours and told to apply through the Plaza’s website and wait for an appointment.

More than 8,000 applications had been filed by Monday afternoon, including 2,000 in a one-hour period that temporarily crashed the application website. Plaza Marketing Manager Tiffany Widdows said the company will interview all applicants and final employment decisions won’t be made until the fair ends.

“It’s been a little overwhelming. We knew there was going to be a big response from the community … because of unemployment being so high — but maybe not this much,” Widdows said.

The Plaza plans to hire back 300 employees who were laid off when it closed its doors for renovations in September. That leaves about 500 jobs waiting to be filled, ranging from dealers, bartenders and cashiers to management positions.

Frustration and confusion ran high as people were turned away Monday morning. But a sense of opportunity permeated the line, as baristas, ex-police officers and laid-off workers from other casinos hoped the Plaza had a job for them.

North Las Vegan Nicole Chomes waited in line for more than two hours, before going home to apply online and then returning in the afternoon in hopes of getting an interview.

A real-estate appraiser for nine years, Chomes is now a student at Everest College in Henderson studying criminal justice. She said she needs to find work to help pay her bills, and even skipped classes to attend the job fair.

“It’s been very frustrating … and really chaotic,” she said. “I have good feelings, though. Even among all these people, you can’t get discouraged or intimidated.”

Marquis Ben spent 15 years as a cocktail waitress at the MGM Grand and Luxor before her hours were cut. The single mother of two said she’s been to job fairs at Caesars Entertainment and the Station Casinos, but hasn’t had much luck.

“I’m over 40 competing against younger girls,” said Ben, who speaks English, French and Arabic. “I really need to work ... I’ll do anything. But in Vegas it’s how you look and how old you are.”

Job seekers said they were encouraged by the opportunity to sit down face to face for an interview instead of putting time into online applications and never getting a call back. But those interviewed are faced with two weeks of uncertainty as they wait to find out if they’ve been passed on to the second round.

“I’ve come in optimistic before and had no call back, which kills you,” Mark Davis said. “But I came out here in the 100 degree heat and gave it a shot. I really didn’t have anything to lose.”

The job fair continues through Friday, and again from July 5 to July 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the Las Vegas Club across the street from the Plaza. Interested applicants should go to the Plaza’s website to apply and schedule an interview time.