buffet service used to be it was definitely a lot of adjustments we had to make. reporter: at the arlo in lower umanhattan, general manager kordell nelson says cuts were the only way not to close. that meant reducing staff at the front office, housekeeping and engineering departments. reporter: but even as covid restrictions ease and americans return to leisure travel, it still may not be enough to bring workers back in a new report, hospitality union unite here estimates nearly 40% of hotel housekeeping jobs, more than 180,000, may never return. dee taylor is the union president. i think travelers are getting short changed, and who s getting benefit of that this is just about wall street trying to squeeze more and more out of the american consumer and the american worker. reporter: workers like mary who was furloughed from her housekeeping job in waikiki last march due to covid