The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor filed a layoff notice June 15 affecting its 2,077 employees as the coronavirus pandemic continues to pummel the hospitality industry.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the Maryland Department of Labor lists an effective date of March 11. The Gaylord, Greater Washington’s largest hotel at 1,996 rooms, has been closed since March 24, when the owner of all seven Gaylord resort properties across the country suspended operations.
Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP), which owns the Gaylord hotels, said recently that it was targeting a late July reopening for the Maryland hotel, which is located in Prince George’s County. We’ve reached out to Ryman for more information on whether that target reopening date has changed and will update this post when we hear back.
Regarding the layoffs, a spokeswoman for Ryman referred questions to Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), which owns the Gaylord brand and operates the hotel. A Marriott spokesperson said in an emailed statement the company could not comment on a specific property, but added: “Due to widespread travel and social distancing restrictions, we have experienced significant drops in customer demand. Hotels are adjusting operations accordingly, which has impacted employment, resulting in staffing reductions, temporary leaves, and in some cases, termination notices.”