--JW Marriott
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Hotel chain Marriott International is beginning to furlough thousands of its workers amid an enormous industry downturn due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Key Points:
- Marriott International operates over 7,000 properties across 30 different brands and 131 countries.
- Furloughed staff, which includes workers like housekeepers and general managers but not corporate-level employees (of course), won’t be paid during this period but will retain their healthcare benefits.
- According to a Marriott spokesperson, “many” of its furloughed staff are expected to return when the virus is contained, which some sources suggest may not be until the middle or end of the summer.
- In late February, the company disclosed that it would close 90 of its 375 China-based hotels and estimated it could lose $25 million per month in fee revenue. And the pandemic has become more of a global crisis since that disclosure.
- In Boston, Marriott had to shut down its Long Wharf hotel after an employee tested positive for the virus; the building hosted a Biogen conference that resulted in many more cases of the coronavirus.