Survey: Hotels won’t be at pre-COVID staffing levels until late 2020

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville makes millions each year on tourism, but with less people traveling during the pandemic, hotels all over the nation are taking a big hit.

One hospitality group says a lot of hotels won’t have a full staff until at least the end of the year.

If you look at the numbers from The American Hotel and Lodging Association, you’ll notice a major difference from before the pandemic.

Nine out 10 hotels have laid off or furloughed workers and only 37% have been able to bring workers backs. As of now, two thirds of the country’s hotels are operating at less than half capacity.

In Music City, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corps released new numbers last week, saying weekly hotel stays were at 6,900 rooms earlier this month – down from more than 26,000 this time last year.

Right now, the busiest days are Tuesday and Wednesday, indicating that business travel has started to pick up.

The good news is things are starting to improve after hotel stays hit their lowest point back in April. The study shows 28% percent of hotels could be fully staffed by the end of August.