Trish Pugal, interim CEO of the Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association said at the start of the pandemic, 18,000 hotel and lodging employees were furloughed.
Pugal said it is difficult to say for sure how many, if any, hotels will have to close permanently from the financial stress the pandemic caused.
At the Iron Horse Hotel, management said they have been closed since March 21 and are now bringing back some furloughed employees to prepare to reopen on June 1.
“We decided it was in the best interest of our staff and also of our guests for us to close our doors and really focus on cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, making sure that our spaces were absolutely sparkling clean,” said Jordan Dechambre, director of lifestyle at the Iron Horse Hotel.
Dechambre said they plan on implementing a number of different measures to help keep their employees and hotel guests safe.
