Hilton’s Times Square hotel will officially close on October 1, according to a filing with New York state authorities this week. This is considered a mandatory notice that employers must submit to the authorities 30 days before firing employees.
Hilton’s decision is expected to result in more than 200 layoffs, which the company said was due to “unforeseen business circumstances resulting from the impact of Covid-19.”
Hilton Times Square Hotel will officially close from October 1st
The Hilton Times Square Hotel has a total of 44 floors and 478 rooms at 234 West 42nd Street, located in the heart of New York City, right on Times Square, steps from Broadway and a perfect location for sightseeing in any direction: north is Central Park, south is the SoHo financial district, west is Hell's Kitchen and east is the United Nations building.
But the pandemic has devastated all aspects of the travel industry. A report this week from the American Hotel Association showed that city hotel occupancy was 38% in August, far below the 50% needed for most hotels to break even.
Hotel occupancy in New York was 38% in August, compared with 93% a year earlier, according to hotel data tracking firm STR.
Times Square is deserted during the Covid-19 pandemic
Yet in New York, restaurants remain closed to indoor dining, a 14-day quarantine is in place for visitors from 30 states, Broadway is closed until 2021, Yankees and Mets baseball games are being played behind closed doors, and most European countries remain under travel restrictions.
