Central Nova News

A human resources director who had to oversee furlough of most workers in an Alexandria hotel last week because of the COVID-19 pandemic said the worldwide crisis has no precedent.

"What we are going through feels surreal," Madeline Castro, human resources director at Hilton Alexandria Old Town, said in a statement to Central Nova News. "9-11 and the recession impacted the US and yet, it was not as devastating as this Coronavirus."

The usually bustling tourist attraction that is historical Old Town in Alexandria now more closely resembles a ghost town and the Hilton hotel's occupancy is in the single digits, which forced closure of its food and beverage department, Castro said.

President Donald Trump, with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, on Monday, March 16, issuing new guidelines to help protect Americans during the global Coronavirus outbreak whitehouse.gov | whitehouse.gov

"Not knowing what the future holds due to not having enough information on why, how or when the virus will be contained makes us feel we have no control," she said. "Most of all, seeing our fellow associates who we have built relationships with losing their status or being furloughed is the hardest part of all. It worries us and makes us wonder how long will it be before it’s our turn to lose our health or our economic well-being."

No one knows the answer to that.

Castro has seen the faces of that disaster in Hilton Alexandria Old Town furloughed employees and what they have to say about it:

- Jale Hashimi: "Sacrifices have to be made to ensure the future of our personal and professional well-being and those of our associates and country are protected. I just hope we find a solution soon."

- Jarra Beyene: "I have a new home, wife, and baby. Would not want for them to worry or need anything. If this virus is not under control soon there will be more to worry about."

- Maria Reynolds: "The future of our children is what worries me the most. How will we help them feel safe?"

- Cynthia Harperee: "Sad that this virus has taken away my being able to keep visiting or participating in events with my grandchildren because of social distancing."

- Harina Ayele: "Fear of social gathering and touching anything without wiping it down with sanitizer and constantly washing my hands. Not being able to see/meet my newborn nephew for his protection."

- Krystal Rodriguez: "Depending on how long this would take how it will affect our relationships with clients? It is scary to think we can potentially lose future business due to virus."

- John De La Rosa: "Fear of getting the virus. Young and new in this country and want to socialize and meet people. Living with the unknown of what the future will be makes me paralyzed."

- Johana Molina: "This has forced us to be more together with family to be able to support each other in these uncertain times."

- Adam Anwar: “It has affected me to see many lives lost, globally, due this virus. How is it possible living in a world that is so advanced in technology and medicine that this could happen? We are living in scary times!”

The Hilton Alexandria Old Town associates now furloughed, or still working but with severely reduced hours, are among the thousands upon thousands in the industry suddenly thrown out of work as the pandemic keeps guests away.

"Remington Hotels is struggling in the face of the coronavirus," Remington Hotels President and CEO Sloan Dean III said in his own statement to Central Nova News.

Dean's appointment as president and CEO of Remington Hotels was announced in December.

Remington, founded in 1968, is a hotel management company that also provides providing property management services. Its hospitality wing manages 86 hotels in 26 states across 17 brands.

The suffering of Remington Hotels' employees is a small portion of the larger story about how COVID-19 threatens the world's economy. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned earlier this week that COVID-19 could drive unemployment in the U.S. to 20 percent, levels not seen since the Great Depression.

The travel and hospitality industry is asking for about $150 billion in relief.

Like the rest of the industry, Remington Hotels has been hit hard by COVID-19, which has sunk its business to "beyond depression levels" and Remington anticipates losses this year in the hundreds of millions, Dean said.

Remington Hotels expects hotels that it manages to run at 90 percent lower occupancy levels in April 2020, compared to the same month last year, Dean said.

"Most all of our 6,800 associates are furloughed," he said, adding that the entire situation is a "disaster."

Priorities for the entire industry should be exactly what the American Hotel and Lodging Association presented to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, March 17, Dean said.

Those priorities are emergency assistance for employees, a workforce stabilization fund from the U.S. Treasury Department, preservation of business liquidity that would include $100 billion for employee retention and rehiring, and tax relief

"For many Americans in our sector, this health crisis will be compounded by economic hardship in the coming weeks and months," Dean said. "Congress must act now!! Time is essential as unemployment claims in hospitality will be in the millions."