Norwalk Hotel Company Lays Off 100 Due To Coronavirus: State

NORWALK, CT — Merritt Hospitality LLC, the Norwalk-based hotel and resort real estate investment firm, has laid off 100 of its employees due to the lingering financial effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on its business.

In a letter this month announcing the layoffs to the Connecticut Department of Labor, the company said it notified employees who previously had been laid off temporarily that the layoffs would be permanent, though this round of layoffs could include some temporary ones.

The move is due to the "likely continuation of the unanticipated, dramatic, and continuing downturn in the economy due [to] the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the hospitality industry," the company said.

Like restaurants, the hotel industry has suffered huge losses due to the coronavirus, with many hotels and resorts being closed, and others struggling with reducing the number of customers due to social distancing protocols.

With more than 1,900 employees, Merritt Hospitality's layoffs will represent a little more than 5 percent of its workforce.

The pandemic has "crippled" Merritt Hospitality's "business and businesses around the country," the company said, and it does not know what its future holds.