The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach notified the state government that the hurricane-damaged hotel will lay off 281 employees and remain closed indefinitely for repairs.
The 375-room hotel at 1 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach has been closed since Sept. 8, two days before Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys.
The hotel’s general manager, Sase Gjorsovski, wrote in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed Oct. 23 that the 281 layoffs will affect 14 massage therapists, 59 housekeeping workers and 49 food and beverage servers, among other employees.
The layoffs are effective Dec. 8 and considered permanent, according to Gjorsovski. He told the Sun-Sentinel no reopening date has been set for the hotel.
“The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is working toward a full recovery and will be welcoming guests as soon as possible,” according to a notice posted Oct. 16 on the hotel’s website.
Some other hotels in South Florida also remain closed due to damage from Hurricane Irma, including the Sheraton Suites and Bahia Cabanas hotels in Fort Lauderdale. [Sun-Sentinel] – Mike Seemuth