As nationwide COVID-19 cases surge, the hospitality industry in the South is seeing fewer visitors along with a growing weariness among residents not wanting the guests.
Karron Alford, Visit Baton Rouge director of marketing and technology, said during a Downtown Development District Board of Commissioners meeting this morning that recent data confirms the trends.
“We want to be cognizant of how residents feel about visitors coming into the community,” Alford said. “But we are not stopping our message of saying, ‘Hey, enjoy a staycation in your area.’”
Hotels have responded to concerns with new cleaning and safety programs, such as limiting contact between guests and cleaning staff, limiting elevator capacity, converting breakfast stations and implementing hand sanitizer stations in public areas.
Alford noted that as the state moved into phase two of reopening, the number of hotel guests began to increase up until the July spike in COVID-19 cases.
One month ago, the number of COVID-19 cases not linked to a backlog reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic. As of Aug. 5, hotel occupancy has stagnated at 50%, notably lower than this time last year.
In response, local hotels have had to make extreme cuts. The Hilton Capitol Center filed a WARN notice last month, saying it would lay off 93 employees Sept. 20.
Alford also said that while the industry is struggling, VBR’s hospitality recovery task force continues to prepare for the college football season. However, stadium capacity restrictions could prevent the local hospitality industry from seeing a large boost in business.
