Hilton will close its New York hotel.

According to filings the Hilton Group submitted to New York State authorities this week, its Times Square hotel will officially close on October 1st. This can be seen as a mandatory notice that employers must submit to authorities 30 days before laying off employees.

Hilton's decision is expected to result in more than 200 people losing their jobs. The company stated that this is due to "unforeseen business circumstances caused by Covid-19."

The Hilton Times Square Hotel, with a total of 44 floors and 478 rooms, is located at 234 West 42nd Street in the heart of New York City, right on Times Square, just steps from Broadway, and is a perfect location for sightseeing in any direction: to the north is Central Park, to the south is the SoHo financial district, to the west is Hell's Kitchen, and to the east is the United Nations building.

However, the pandemic has devastated all aspects of the tourism industry. This week's report from the American Hotel Association shows that hotel occupancy rates in cities were 38% in August, well below the 50% needed for most hotels to break even.

According to hotel data tracking company STR, hotel occupancy in New York in August was 38%, compared to 93% in the same period last year.

However, in New York, restaurants are still suspending indoor dining, a 14-day quarantine is being imposed on travelers from 30 different states, Broadway remains closed until 2021, Yankees and Mets baseball games are being played without live spectators, and most European countries are still implementing travel restrictions.

Huong Thao