Marriott permanently cuts 17% of headquarters staff
Marriott International confirmed it is permanently laying off 673 of the roughly 4,000 workers at its Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters. Marriott, one of the largest employers in the D.C. area, furloughed two-thirds of its corporate headquarters employees in March and has extended those layoffs through the end of September. Marriott spokesperson Connie Kim confirmed the permanent layoffs but could not confirm that all of those positions being eliminated are associated with employees currently on furlough. A significant portion of the furloughed workers will come back to work at the end of the month, Kim said.
Seminole Hard Rock lays off over 1,500 workers
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood, Florida, announced layoffs affecting 1,527 workers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotel parent Seminole Gaming said workers have been on indefinite leave since March 20. While some employees were called back to work in June, recent spikes in the virus across the state and in South Florida have limited the company’s ability to resume operations fully.
Senior executives quit Oyo, company extends furloughs
Two executives quit Oyo Hotels & Homes even as the hospitality chain extended mandatory leave for a chunk of its employees by six months and offered them voluntary separation amid the COVID-19 crisis. Gaurav Ajmera, global head of revenue management, and Burhanuddin Pithawala, global head of marketing and growth, have quit, Oyo stated in an internal note to employees Friday. In a separate blog post, the company said employees on leave with limited benefits plan in India can either opt for a voluntary separation program or continue with the existing arrangement until February 28, 2021.
Disney hotels see 80% occupancy for Labor Day weekend
Inventory at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is currently booked at 80% for Labor Day weekend in the U.S. Orlando jumped to first, having ranked fourth in 2019. Also ranked within the top five are Lake Buena Vista, Bay Lake, and Kissimmee. Only four resort hotels remained available as of Friday: Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, according to the Walt Disney World website.
Policies may change as business travel resumes
About 66% of travel and procurement managers expect their companies will be less likely than before the pandemic to allow travelers to book directly with suppliers, according to a recent survey by the Global Business Travel Association. Similar to the percent of respondents who said their companies will place more restrictions on direct supplier bookings, nearly two-thirds (65%) said the same restriction will apply to online travel agencies such as Expedia or Booking.com.
More from Business Travel News
A new marketing plan from the travel industry
On September 8, a business coalition consisting of dozens of companies and organizations —including many U.S. corporate brands from both within and outside the travel sector — will host a webinar to launch their “Let’s Go There” initiative, an industry-wide recovery collaboration. The effort will invite Americans to look forward to traveling again.
U.S. Travel supports airlines’ plan for testing program
The U.S. Travel Association issued a statement to the U.S. airline industry calling on the federal government to pilot a COVID-19 testing program for international flights. “Increased COVID-19 testing — paired with a federal framework of relief, protection and stimulus, as well as adherence to healthy travel habits such as wearing masks — can help shorten the recovery time and put America on the path toward an economic revival… We have long maintained that testing is the key to both safer travel and reopening the economy.”