Days before the Republican National Convention was moved to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the hotel closest to the site reported a mass layoff.
In a June 3 letter to state officials, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront at 225 E. Coastline Drive said it is permanently cutting 120 jobs and temporarily laying off another 80 workers.
The notice filed under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act said the “permanent separation” of 120 employees would take place June 14.
It also said 80 workers were temporarily laid off June 3-4.
The letter sent by Hyatt General Manager Joe Hindsley cited the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hotel’s business since the beginning of April.
“We were hopeful that the restrictions and associated loss in revenue would be temporary. Since that time, it has recently become apparent that there will be longer-term revenue impacts,” he said.
“With such a significant reduction in our business in a rapidly evolving situation, we have to make painful choices that would have seemed unthinkable just a short time ago,” he said.
The Republican National Committee announced June 11 that much of the convention events scheduled for Aug. 24-27 were moving from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville.
No announcements have been made about possible events at the Downtown Hyatt, which is a venue for many smaller conventions throughout the year.
Hindsley did not respond to an email over the weekend asking if the relocation of the Republican convention will impact its staffing and layoff plans.
