Up to 75 employees have been laid off at the Delta Marriott in Saint John due to the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on the hotel business.
General Manager Paulette Hicks said before this, 2020 was looking good with sporting events, bus tours, convention and meeting business booked.
Hicks said occupancy rates dropped to about five per cent for March and April and the resulting layoffs impact every aspect of the business.
“From front desk to bellman to room attendants to servers and food and beverage, to our cleaning staff, to our core management staff. Everyone has been impacted with respect to either reduced hours or permanent layoff,” Hicks said.
While they are seeing some recovery, Hicks said the leisure travelers who come to New Brunswick on bus tours from the United States can’t get here because the borders are closed.
Some properly spaced meetings have taken place and Hicks said they are happy to be hosting a wedding this weekend.
She said the date has been pushed back a couple of times.
“There have been lots of changes. We’ve had the most marvelous bride and groom through this. There are just so resilient is the only word that comes to mind and really fun to work with because, they just roll with it,” Hicks said.
The hotel’s restaurant, Mix Resto Bar, is set to reopen next week and Hicks said reservations have picked up for July, August and September.
