Marriott International is laying off 673 people at its corporate headquarters in Bethesda Md., according to public layoff notices submitted to the Maryland Dept. of Labor last week.
The layoffs are effective Oct. 23, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) log on Sept. 3.
Although the hotel company has not issued a press release or statement, a spokesperson for Marriott confirms that 673 associates are impacted with roles that are at corporate headquarters. The spokesperson also confirms that a significant number of associates currently on furlough will be back in late September.
The Washington Business Journal attributes the job losses to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 that have decimated the travel industry. Indeed, the American Hotel & Lodging Association reports that consumer travel is at an all-time low and only 38% of Americans intend to travel by the end of 2020.
Six months into the pandemic, 65% of hotels are operating below 50% occupancy, according to the AHLA.
The job cuts at Marriott represent 17% of the 4,000 employees working at corporate headquarters.
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