Two Kansas City hotels lay off nearly 300 workers after closing because of pandemic
The trendy Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City has laid off 151 workers after suspending services because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The hotel, managed by Aparium Hospitality Services LTD, recently notified Missouri regulators that it began laying off workers March 17.
“For the safety and well-being of the employees, the hotel has temporarily suspended services and is not open to the public,” the company wrote to the state’s office of workforce development. “We are hopeful that this is temporary, although the date when the hotel may resume operations is unknown.”
Before the layoffs, the boutique hotel employed 155, including 100 full-time workers. Now, only four employees remain, the notice said.
The hotel in 2018 opened up in two side-by-side buildings in the Crossroads Arts District. One of those buildings previously housed the historic Pabst Brewing Co. bottling company, the other was home to notorious political boss Tom Pendergast.
The Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center has also cut staff after it closed its operation near the Truman Sports Complex. It told state regulators it laid off 138 workers and is only keeping a “skeleton crew needed to ensure the basic integrity of the building and an ability to respond to any emergencies that respond.”
“We are hopeful that the country will be able to recover quickly from the current situation and, if and when we are able, we may re-open” the hotel, the company wrote to state regulators. “When we do, we will contact all current employees to return, depending on business forecasts.”
The American Hotel & Lodging Association predicts 44% of hotel employees across the country have already or soon will lose their jobs because of COVID-19. The trade group predicts that more than 39,000 Missouri hotel workers and more than 13,000 in Kansas will lose work from the pandemic.
Unemployment claims in both states are already skyrocketing.
On Thursday, Missouri and Kansas reported more than 66,000 people collectively filed new unemployment claims in the week ending March 21.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 8:04 PM.
