SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (NEXSTAR) – Illinois hotels suffered an 80% drop in revenue amid “devastating” pandemic lockdowns and hotel room occupancy and price lag behind competitors in other states where restrictions were lifted, an industry lobbyist said.
“We’ve already lost business to states like Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri that opened faster,” said Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, of Capitol Connection. “Illinois is certainly behind. And many states that have these restrictions are definitely lagging behind when compared to states that reopened more quickly. “
“We are confident – especially with this announcement of the bridging phase and, ultimately, the transition to the fifth phase – and hope that this summer we will be able to host these larger gatherings later this year and through 2022,” he said. “So we hope that we will be able to bring these people back and hire our people again. The question is, “Will we be able to hold out that long while we wait for these big events to come back next year?”
Jacobson called on the state to allocate $ 250 million in grants to a “Hotel Job Recovery Program” that would allow hotels to reinstate staff laid off during the pandemic.
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