COVID Hotel-Motel Job Losses and Closures Hit WA, OR Hard

According to new data released this week by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), the effects of COVID-19 and shutdowns has ravaged the hotel-motel industry.

This week, AHLA officials are urging Congress to put aside their 'bickering' and continue working on and passing meaningful relief programs that have been held up.

They released a report showing the effects that COVID shutdowns have had on the industry. Comparing pre COVID unemployment and job rates with those as of September 2020, some pretty staggering figures.

The data shows national figures, and breaks it down state by state, including WA and OR.

The AHLA says significant additional losses and closures could be avoided if relief programs are passed, which would help stabilize the industry as most of the country is or has reopened--aside from some states like ours.

You would expect states like CA, New York, and especially Nevada (Vegas) And Arizona (vacations-warm weather) to be among the hardest hit. But WA and OR have also seen dramatic impacts.

WA lost an estimated 16,042 jobs directly due to motel-hotel shutdowns and many closings. For OR, that number was 11,511. When you factor in hotel-motel related support industries such as restaurants and shops in and around them, those numbers climb to 44,021 in WA and 26,142 in OR. 

As for the number of hotels and motels that have closed directly due to COVID economic issues, WA had 1,100 shutdowns due to either foreclosure or lack of business. OR saw 939.

Washington state ranked 15th out of 50 states in job losses, and 16th in hotel-motel closures. Some of that comes, at least in part, to extended shutdowns that have lasted longer than many areas. States such as WA, OR, Michigan, New York and CA are not recovering as fast as many others, leading to these figures likely growing as we head into October.

To see the complete breakdown of hotel-motel data from the AHLA, click on the button below.