Clearwater, Tampa hotels extend layoffs
August 1, 2020 - Operators of the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach and the Hilton Tampa Downtown have told state officials they will extend layoffs for dozens of employees. Both hotels cited the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in separate Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notices sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Wyndham Grand had temporarily laid off 74 workers earlier this year and expected to resume normal operations in the summer. But new orders by the Florida governor, including the rollback order affecting bars and nightclubs, together with travel restrictions and health directives,, resulted in a sudden change in reservations and significant reductions in hotel operations, so the layoffs now are expected to extend beyond six months. At the Hilton Tampa Downtown, about 88 employees who were temporarily furloughed in March will remain on temporary furlough, while 40 other employees were permanently terminated effective Friday.