Greenwich Hotel To Lay Off About 150 Employees

GREENWICH, CT — The Hyatt Regency hotel in Greenwich has announced about 150 furloughed employees will be laid off by the end of the month. In a letter sent to the state Department of Labor last week, the hotel said the decision was a result of "a drop in business" due to the coronavirus and its long-term impact on revenue.

Employees at the hotel, located on E. Putnam Avenue in the Old Greenwich area of town, were originally temporarily furloughed on March 22. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"We were hopeful that the restrictions and associated loss in revenue would be temporary," General Manager Sherry Hicks-Buckles said in the letter. "Since that time, it has recently become apparent that there will be longer-term revenue impacts as a result of the continued spread of the virus."

The letter also notes the cancellation of various conferences and events and a "significant decline in travel" due to the virus, also referred to as COVID-19, have resulted in an unexpected shutdown of much of their business.

"While there are encouraging signs that our economy can begin to reopen in some areas," Hicks-Buckles said, "it has now become clear that the demand for travel, events and hospitality services will take substantially longer to resume than previously anticipated."

Under the plan outlined in the letter, about 150 employees will be transferred from furloughed with employment benefits to temporary layoffs without benefits. The "anticipated separation date" for the employees is June 30.

Affected employees listed in the letter include housekeepers, room and bell attendants, servers and cooks, as well as employees in event management and sales, among others.

"While our hope remains that some or all of these layoffs will be temporary and last less than six months, we must prepare for longer-term employment losses," Hicks-Buckles said. "This is a partial closure; not all employees at the hotel will be impacted."

According to their website, the hotel currently is not offering restaurant, bar or other services, however they are accepting room reservations for stays "from July 1 and beyond."

In April, the nearby Sheraton Stamford Hotel announced over 100 employees had been temporarily laid off due to the virus' impact on business. A letter sent to the state labor department at the time said the hotel suffered "an enormous loss of business" as a result of the virus.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.

Patch has reached out the First Selectman's Office for further information.