Travel Roundup: Venetian Macao Cuts 500, D.C. Hotels Need Workers, Inauguration Cruise and More

(MoneyWatch)  Las Vegas Sands Cuts 500 workers at Venetian Macao -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. cut 500 workers at its Venetian Macao Resort Hotel and said it would take away hours and tips from another 1,000 workers. About 100 of the jobs cut belonged to management. The 500 jobs make up only about 2 percent of the Macao workforce and the company reported that most laid off were offered jobs at its new Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore, slated to open in late 2009. Las Vegas Sands laid off 200 workers in Las Vegas earlier this month. [Source: Canadian Press]

Washington D.C. hotels calling all backup staff for inauguration -- Hotels are recalling retirees and hiring extra workers starting around Jan. 16, a few days before President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration, to help handle a barrage of events and millions of guests arriving in town for the ceremonies. Even with hotel workers earning between $28 to $50 an hour because of holiday and weekend pay, there are still plenty of openings as hotels attemptto double their staff for a few days. However, using out-of-towners to fill jobs is problematic because most hotels are already booked up and visiting workers will have to be bussed out of town. [Source: Washington Post]

Don't have a hotel? Try an inauguration cruise -- HotelBlox LLC, Imperial Majesty Cruise Line and Yes We Can Cruise, Inc. announced a presidential inauguration cruise that will sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Baltimore starting Jan. 16. The seven-day, "Yes, We Can 2009 Inauguration Cruise" itinerary includes two days in Baltimore's port so guests can attend inaugural events with ground transportation. Baltimore is about 40 minutes from Washington, D.C. The cruise will also feature a stop in the Bahamas, a ball, casino gaming at sea and an all-inclusive stay with meals, recreation and entertainment. [Source: HotelBlox]

Hotels offer rooms to homeless --Two hotels in Portsmouth, N.H. are offering rooms to homeless families for Christmas. The families are sent from the Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network, a group of churches that help homeless families. The families will stay in the hotels for two nights, Dec. 24 and 25. A spokeswoman for the group said that the two nights give the families some time away from shelters and volunteers time to spend with their families. [Source: SeacoastOnline]