Housing shortage has hotels full

HOBBS, N.M. (KRQE) - Job creation isn't a problem for one New Mexico town, but many workers are having a hard time finding a place to live, so they're having to stay at hotels.

Oil and gas has brought work to Hobbs for years, but over the last three years, the town has been trying to keep up, as more workers move in.

"Monday through Thursday the entire city of Hobbs is pretty full," explained Lorrie Tramell, general manager of the Hobbs Fairfield Inn & Suites. "Actually, I know on Tuesdays and Wednesdays you can't find a room in Hobbs."

Hotels are full of mostly oil and gas workers.  Many don't live in Hobbs, and travel a long distance home for weekends.

"Well it's a good problem for us because we're full.  Unfortunately it's not a good problem for the person trying to find a room," Tramell said.

Tramell said most occupants are in it for the long haul.

"We have some people in house that are here indefinitely until the project is over," she said.

Out of 94 rooms at the Marriott, most of them are double queen rooms with a microwave and mini fridge, rooms many workers call home sometimes for more than a year.

"Yeah, you get to know these people really really well," Tramell said.

But there's another side to this issue.

"It is certainly indicative of how robust our economy is, but it is now just a temporary solution to what is a greater housing shortage," Grant Taylor, president of the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce, said.

Taylor said there's been a shortage of affordable housing and rental properties where many workers choose to stay. Construction slowed after oil prices plummeted in 1985,  which made it less profitable to drill.

Taylor said a lot of the homes considered new in Hobbs were built in 1985. There's been a big gap in long-term investments in housing development since then, but the city government is working to try and change that.

"In many ways it's a good problem to have to try and keep pace with job creation," Taylor explained. "But at the same time we have to think about what opportunities we might miss because we don't have as much housing as we might need."

Opportunities like more job creation, Taylor said. Although hotels may be benefiting from the lack of long-term housing, the city is seeking changes.

"When they're staying in a hotel and basically commuting every weekend back to their home in Texas or Colorado or elsewhere, they're not making that investment in our community," Taylor said. "And we would much rather see our community have the opportunity to keep them here."

Tramell said most hotels in Hobbs aren't well-equipped for long-term guests, but some, including the Marriott, are looking at building places that offer extended stay.