It's that time of year — tourists are few and some hotel workers may be facing difficulties keeping their jobs as the number of guests dwindle.

Hotels handle the matter differently — some hotels typically operate with leaner staffs and may not have to lay off workers in the slow season.

Large properties, on the other hand, may be forced to make major cuts, and that's from staffs that have already been slashed to the bone because of the drop in tourism numbers, particularly group business, starting in 2008.

"It's common this time of year," said Robert Ruiz, general manger of Garrett's Desert Inn on Old Santa Fe Trail in the downtown area. "It depends on how big the operation is."

At Garrett's Desert Inn, "We don't have that many personnel to begin with. And I try to hire part-time students, so when their hours are cut, it's not a big deal."

So far this year, "I haven't laid anybody off," Ruiz said. "And this January I'm tracking ahead of last January (on bookings, so that's good."

The Labor Market Review for December indicates that 200 jobs were gained over the year in the leisure and hospitality sector of the economy. Seven thousand people work in the sector in Santa Fe, just 100 less than in retail trade.

One of the state's major tourism officials sees a tough time for hotels and motels for some time to come.

"A lot of properties are operating with skeleton crews right now," said Art Bouffard, director of the New Mexico Lodgers Association. "They've been doing so since spring of last year. There was a slight increase in staffing during the season, but there was a 6 percent drop in occupancy."

Leisure travelers are fewer, Bouffard said, but even worse is the absence of group business.

Bouffard is hopeful a bill introduced by state Tourism Department director Mike Cerletti will help; the bill would raise $6 million in taxes on food purchased in restaurants and use the money to promote the state will pass.

"It would be a dedicated funding source for the Department of Tourism," Bouffard said. "It would be used exclusively for promoting and marketing" the state.

Encantado, a luxury hotel in Tesuque, has suffered from a soft lodging market.

An e-mail from a staffer there indicated the property had laid off 25 percent of its managers and 10 percent of its line staff.

That follows what the e-mailer, who asked not to be identified, said was a "poor holiday season."

The cuts were made on a "spur of the moment basis, and not too many people were aware this would happen," the employee wrote. "They cited 'financial burden' and 'organizational restructuring' as the cause."

When reached for comment, Encantado manager Jeff Mahan said the hotel did restructure the hours of both managers and hourly workers.

"The numbers you quoted from the e-mailer were probably high as a percentage," he said.

Mahan also said the developers opened the resort in 2008, "prior to the onset of the current national economic situation. We've been fortunate to operate Encantado from opening through 2009 with that initial (management) structure in place."

He added: "It is with great reluctance and difficulty we've seen fit to restructure our management staff to accommodate these current economic challenges."

Mahan also said, "it remains business as usual on the property."

He declined further comment.

Stefan Huber, general manager of the Inn and Spa at Loretto and president of the Santa Fe Lodgers Association, said he had not forced to lay anyone off in 2009. "And we didn't furlough anybody."

But when the Inn at Loretto moves into a lower-volume period, the hotel doesn't replace those who have left through attrition, he said. "It all depends on the situation. It's a very dynamic system of management."

At The Bishop's Lodge, managing partner Rick Verruni said, "We did lay off several people in management positions during the last quarter of the year. Now we're more appropriately staffed, based on the season."

The hotel's staff ranges from 130 people during the busy days of summer to 90 in the off season, he said.

Verruni also said it was difficult for the hotel to cut its staff too sharply because the 450-acre resort has so many amenities that need to be staffed throughout the year.