Even Downtown’s most prestigious hotel hasn’t been able to stand up to the coronavirus.
The Fairmont Pittsburgh temporarily closed its doors Saturday, as COVID-19 continues to batter the hospitality industry locally and nationally.
But the Fairmont is by no means the only big-name hotel in or near Downtown to suffer from plummeting travel caused by stay-at-home orders and other measures designed to combat the spread of the virus.
Others that have closed include the venerable Omni William Penn Hotel, the Renaissance Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, the Distrikt Hotel, the AC Hotel by Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown, the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, and the SpringHill Suites on the North Shore.
With the closings, hundreds of employees at the hotels have been furloughed, with only skeleton crews remaining on the job.
The 185-room Fairmont decided to shut down “to do our part to halt the spread of this virus,” said Andrea Stehle, director of public relations and digital marketing.
“It made sense for us to do our part. That way, we’re not doing anything to put our guests or employees in harm’s way [through possible exposure to the virus],” she said.
With the closing, the hotel has furloughed the majority of about 200 employees. It plans to re-evaluate conditions in late April, with an eye toward a possible May 1 reopening.
“I think we’re going to see how things go,” Ms. Stehle said.
The hotel is currently accepting reservations for May 1 and beyond.
Ms. Stehle declined to discuss the hotel’s occupancy rates before its closing, although vacancies in the Golden Triangle and throughout the county have skyrocketed.
For the week ending March 21, the average occupancy rate was about 8%, a drop of about 90% from the same period last year.
Countywide, the average occupancy was 18%, down about 75% from the same time last year.
At the Sheraton at Station Square, occupancy ranged from 4% to 17% with an average of 10% to 12% before the hotel closed last Thursday. It’s usually above 78% this time of year, interim general manager Holly Smith said.
Like the Fairmont, the 377-room, 32-suite Sheraton closed in part because of safety concerns, not wanting to possibly spread the virus among guests or employees, she said.
“It’s hard to social distance when you’re taking up bags or delivering room service,” she said.
With the closing, the hotel furloughed nearly all of more than 300 employees. It plans to revisit the situation later this month with an eye toward reopening depending on the progress in the fight against COVID-19.
“We’re just taking it day to day,” Ms. Smith said.
The hotel also applied to house doctors and nurses if that need arises at some point.
Hotel struggles caused by the coronavirus, which has all but ground travel to a halt, have prompted Moody’s Investors Service to put a number of hospitality chains, including Radisson, Hilton, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, under review for possible bond rating downgrades.
“The rapid and widening spread of the coronavirus outbreak, deteriorating global economic outlook, falling oil prices and asset price declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets,” Moody’s stated. “The combined credit effects of these developments are unprecedented. The lodging sector has been one of the sectors most significantly affected by the shock given its sensitivity to consumer demand and sentiment.”
Among the Downtown hotels still open are the 616-room Westin Convention Center Hotel and the 712-room Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown.
In response to the dramatic decline in bookings, the Wyndham is limiting the number of rooms available to 400, according to a desk clerk who declined to be named. Occupancy is still hovering about 40%, thanks in large part to bookings by pilots and flight attendants laying over in Pittsburgh.
To keep guests and employees safe, the hotel is sanitizing room keys, practicing social distancing, and limiting food and beverage options to takeout from its cafe, the clerk said.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.
Update at 5:37 p.m. on April 3, 2020
First Published: April 1, 2020, 10:02 a.m.
