Marriott lays off hundreds at Times Square hotel
Marriott International is permanently laying off 850 employees from its hotel in Times Square, another indicator that the hotel industry in New York City remains significantly crippled by the coronavirus pandemic. Marriott recently told the workers that they will be let go March 12, nearly a year after more than 1,200 employees at the New York Marriott Marquis were furloughed as rising coronavirus infections prompted the closure of nonessential businesses and tourist spots. Those who remain on staff are either working or are expected to return to work soon, a Marriott spokeswoman said.
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Thousands of Hong Kong hotel bookings disrupted
Thousands of hotel bookings for Hong Kong arrivals needing to undergo mandatory COVID-19 quarantine would have to be cancelled or rearranged after the government left several popular properties off its list of designated facilities, industry insiders say. About 100 hotels had applied to act as designated service providers, with the Chinese government on December 11 unveiling a deal to use 36 as quarantine-only facilities from December 22 until February 19 in a bid to stem the worsening fourth wave of infections.
Sydney hotels see mostly flat performance
Sydney’s hotel industry reported mostly flat performance compared with the previous month, according to preliminary November data from STR.
Year-over-year declines also came in at a similar level. Comparison with November 2019:
Occupancy: 38% (-56.0%)
ADR: AUD154.75 (US$117) (-33.6%)
RevPAR: AUD58.84 (US$44) (-70.8%)
With travelers still limited largely to intrastate travel in November, there was a marginal difference from October’s absolute results. Alongside hotel quarantine, there were noticeable higher occupancies on weekends for staycation demand. However, Sydney still reports much lower occupancy than other locations across New South Wales.
London occupancy down
STR’s preliminary November 2020 data for London hotels showed lower levels compared with previous months.
Year-over-year declines remained significant. Comparison with November 2019:
Occupancy: -72.8% to 23.3%
ADR: -54.0% to £72.83 (US$97)
RevPAR: -87.5% to £16.97 (US$23)
Amid a second lockdown in November, occupancy was the lowest for any month since July 2020, while the ADR and RevPAR levels were the lowest for any month this year.
At least 34M fewer Americans to travel for holidays
A new survey indicates that the vast majority of Americans plan to stay home this holiday season. Public health concerns and travel guidance are influencing their decisions not to travel over the year-end holidays, a period that typically sees high demand for vacations, according to the survey, from AAA Travel. While AAA expects at least 34 million fewer travelers compared to last year’s holiday season, as many as 84.5 million Americans may still travel from December 23 through January 3, a decline in travel of at least 29%.