New York City s Plan To Move Homeless Back To Shelters Hit Roadblock As Some Refused To Leave Midtown Sheraton msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Minneapolis and St. Paul hotel market has been uniquely hard-hit. Can all the properties survive?
It’s no surprise that the local hotel scene has suffered in the pandemic. Every hotel ecosystem in the country has. But the Twin Cities had the distinction of the worst occupancy- and revenue-per-room plunge of any major metro area in the country, showing up last of 25 markets each month of it, according to industry analyst STR.
Four hotels are currently closed: the Crowne Plaza Northstar and Sheraton Midtown have both been delisted from their chain’s reservation sites; while the Le Meridien Chambers has been sold and will reopen as an independent boutique property in 2021; the Delta Minneapolis Northeast is accepting bookings for May.
One idled Minnesota hotel-industry veteran opted for other work March 14, 2021 2:00pm Text size Copy shortlink:
Baheru Haile, an accomplished guy who moved to Minnesota from Ethiopia in 1978, likes to work.
Haile, the son of a subsistence farmer, first earned a GED through Minneapolis Public Schools. He studied with former Minnesota Twins star Tony Oliva, a Cuban immigrant.
Haile then worked up to two jobs as he earned degrees over six years in economics, international relations and a minor in accounting from the U in the 1980s.
Haile tried a desk job. But he likes connecting with people. He worked for a decade as a cabdriver. Then 25 years for a couple of Sheraton hotels, including the former Sheraton Midtown near the Midtown Exchange. He has worked every job, from concierge to night manager and accountant.
Ghost kitchens find a home in empty hotels - Cincinnati Business Courier bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Four Points by Sheraton Midtown at 326 W 40th Street (Google Maps; iStock)
Hotel operators have come up with all sorts of ways to use their empty spaces during the pandemic, such as housing the homeless, creating temporary offices and hosting weddings.
Now, they are capitalizing on the surge in demand for delivery food by cutting deals with operators of ghost kitchens, a growing industry predicted to be worth $1 trillion in the next decade.
Restauranter Richard Zaro told the New York Times he had wanted to open a sandwich shop before the pandemic, but a lack of funding held him back. But after hotel occupancy tumbled to record lows last year, he saw an opportunity.