Port Charlotte resort to hold five job fairs to fill more than 1,000 spots

The Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor is holding a series of job fairs in coming weeks as it gears up to open in October.

The first of the fairs was held Monday at the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center in Punta Gorda. Three more events will be held at the site — July 29, Aug. 19 and Aug. 29. There also will be two career fairs, July 27 and Aug. 10, held at Career Source Southwest Florida in Port Charlotte.

The resort, being built by Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., is looking for staff to work in all aspects of the resort including hotel operations, housekeeping, food and beverage and retail. The company says it’s looking to fill about 1,200 jobs.

According to a spokesperson, the resort has already hired or put out offers to fill about 15% of the available positions.

To aid in attracting employees, Allegiant announced a robust perks package last month that includes $100,000 retention bonus and free airfare.

At the time the time the company said the free flight to destinations throughout the U.S. would be limited to full-time employees and the $100,000 will be paid out over 10 years after a decade of service is complete. Those eligible for the bonus, the company said, include “full-time hourly or select entry-level salaried employees hired by Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor either before the resort’s opening or within the first 30-days after the resort’s planned October opening.”

While the retention bonus isn’t mentioned in a flyer announcing the job fair, there’s a list of other benefits including dental medical 401K and “best of all free flights.”

As for salary and hourly rates, the spokesperson says that will depend on the position and an applicant's experience. "Our team is constantly doing market evaluation to ensure we stay competitive for each position type."  

The 785-room Sunseeker is opening this year after several setbacks — COVID, a fire and Hurricane Ian. It will have 20 restaurants and bars, two pools, a spa and salon, a 117,000-square-foot “ground level experience,” an adults-only rooftop retreat, 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a harbor walk and an 18-hole golf course.

Allegiant reported in May that it first quarter operating revenue was up 29.9% from a year ago, to $649.7 million.

At the time, company CEO John Redmond announced that the cost of the resort had risen to $695, up from the originally projected $510 million.

Anyone who wants to attend one of the career fair events should go to the career section of Sunseeker's website to RSVP and see what positions are open.