Coronavirus cutbacks at several big Charlotte hotels impact over 700 jobs
As COVID-19 continues to devastate the hospitality industry, 736 employees at hotels in uptown Charlotte and SouthPark saw their jobs upended by cost-cutting measures, according to state filings.
At several major hotels, including the Westin, Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotel, the jobs of more than 100 workers were affected at each location.
Marriott International, which owns all of the hotel brands that made the job changes in Charlotte, has seen a significant decline in consumer demand due to travel and social distancing restrictions, spokeswoman Casey Kennett said in a statement.
Kennett said the company’s hotels are adjusting operations due to the falling demand. That includes staff reductions, implementing temporary leave and terminating some employees, she said.
Kennett refused to comment on the measures that impacted its Charlotte employees.
Here are the hotels in Charlotte where workers were impacted, according to filings with the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
- The Westin Charlotte, on South College Street in uptown: 276 employees.
- The Ritz-Carlton, on Trade Street near Spectrum Center: 207.
- At The Sheraton/Le Meridien complex on McDowell Street: 65.
- The Marriott in SouthPark, across from the mall: 82.
- The Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel, across from the mall on Barclay Downs Drive: 106.
As the county and state unemployment rates have surged, leisure and hospitality has been among the hardest-hit industries. Around 21% of the nearly 835,000 unemployment claims filed statewide in March and April came from workers in the sector, according to the Commerce Department data.
Over 1 million people have filed for unemployment since March 15, according to the latest state data.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
