Hotel Workers Concerned Over More Furloughs, Lay-Offs

Portrait of a happy bellboy working at a hotel and wearing a facemask to avoid COVID-19 - service concepts

Most mornings, Kat Payne calls a family meeting and talks with her children about how — or if — they are going to be able to pay their bills each month. It’s a routine she began after she was furloughed from her job as a housekeeper at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in March. Payne, along… Continue reading Hotel Workers Concerned Over More Furloughs, Lay-Offs

How Much Corporate Travel May Never Return?

Young businessman with suitcase just arriving in Valencia and texting on phone

Airline and hotel executives don’t ask themselves whether corporate travel will be permanently reduced due to Covid-19. They ask themselves by how much—and the forecasts look scary. While tourism is making a timid comeback, business travelers are still nowhere to be seen. In the last week of July, itineraries purchased by corporations were down 97%… Continue reading How Much Corporate Travel May Never Return?

Illinois Announces Loans, Grants to Help Small Businesses Including Hospitality Industry

Someone filling out Small Business Loan Application.

Illinois Governor Pritzker announced measures to help small businesses in the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Among the measures Pritzker announced: The Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund: This $60 million fund will support low interest loans of up to $50,000 for small businesses in every industry outside of Chicago. Businesses with… Continue reading Illinois Announces Loans, Grants to Help Small Businesses Including Hospitality Industry

COVID-19 Pushes Hospitality Industry to the Edge: Key Considerations for Stakeholders

Hotel workers

As reports of confirmed Coronavirus cases increase, travel bans and mass quarantines go into effect, and citizens across the globe avoid all nonessential travel, the hotel industry is being hard hit. Without exaggeration, owners, managers, and brands that were already struggling, and even those that were not, may face existential decisions. To aid in addressing… Continue reading COVID-19 Pushes Hospitality Industry to the Edge: Key Considerations for Stakeholders

Coronavirus Impact on Hospitality: Marriott Begins Furloughing Tens of Thousands of Employees

Young business couple checking in at hotel and beautiful receptionist helping them very cheerfully

Marriott International Inc., the world’s largest hotel company with nearly 1.4 million rooms world-wide, said it is starting to furlough what it expects will be tens of thousands of employees as it ramps up hotel closings across the globe. The company began shutting down some of its managed properties last week, a Marriott spokeswoman said.… Continue reading Coronavirus Impact on Hospitality: Marriott Begins Furloughing Tens of Thousands of Employees

The Coronavirus Is Now a “Pre-Existing Condition” As Far As Travel Insurers Are Concerned

Blood sample with respiratory coronavirus positive

Now that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has officially issued warnings about travel to China due to the coronavirus, the availability of travel insurance to that area has diminished. While travel to other countries has not been affected as of now, until the virus is cured and contained, things could continue to ratchet down.… Continue reading The Coronavirus Is Now a “Pre-Existing Condition” As Far As Travel Insurers Are Concerned

CDC Warns of “Severe” Disruption to Daily Life in U.S. as Coronavirus Spreads

The phrase Corona virus on a banner with blurred Chinese flag on the background.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans to prepare for an outbreak of the coronavirus that’s rocked China and hammered the global economy — saying it’s not a question of “if” but “when” the virus will come to the United States. The warning came as new coronavirus cases spread far beyond… Continue reading CDC Warns of “Severe” Disruption to Daily Life in U.S. as Coronavirus Spreads

Research: Coronavirus Could Infect Two-Thirds of the Globe

A businesswoman on the street in Tokyo, wearing a protective face-mask.

As the number of coronavirus cases jumps dramatically in China, a top infectious-disease scientist warns that things could get far worse: Two-thirds of the world’s population could catch it. So says Ira Longini, an adviser to the World Health Organization who tracked studies of the virus’s transmissibility in China. His estimate implies that there could… Continue reading Research: Coronavirus Could Infect Two-Thirds of the Globe

Coronavirus Triggers Damage Control from Governments, Companies

teenagers student wearing mouth mask against smog in city

Government officials and corporate executives around the world are scrambling to limit the damage from the fast-spreading coronavirus as Russia tightened its border with China and the U.S. announced plans for a second evacuation of the Chinese city at the center of the epidemic. In response to the virus, companies including Tesla Inc. and IKEA… Continue reading Coronavirus Triggers Damage Control from Governments, Companies

Many Global Firms, Excluded from Epidemic Insurance, Face Heavy Coronavirus Costs

A businesswoman on the street in Tokyo, wearing a protective face-mask.

Many global companies from hotels and airlines to industrial houses are expected to have to foot the bill for disruptions caused by a new coronavirus in China, with epidemics usually excluded from insurance cover, experts said. With 132 deaths in China and new cases being reported around the world, companies are set to face billions… Continue reading Many Global Firms, Excluded from Epidemic Insurance, Face Heavy Coronavirus Costs