*Editor’s note: Patrick Tamayo is a journalism student in SF State’s Journalism 575 Community Media this spring. Taught by professor Jon Funabiki, the class is a collaboration with El Tecolote.

The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and San Francisco hotels were some of this first to feel the consequences of this dire situation. Thousands of hotel workers have been put on furlough or have had their hours drastically reduced. The rapidity of the situation that transpired broadsided the majority of employees.

The impact and residual effects remain to be seen as employees sit at home wondering not only when their properties will reopen, but how long it might be for business to actually return. 

At the end of February, hospitality workers were patting themselves on the back after another city-wide convention—the RSA Conference—came to an end. Over 36,000 attendees gathered from around the world to attend the annual conference of IT and cybersecurity experts.  

The yearly conference, one of the bigger, busier and profitable gatherings of the year, was held despite several large, big-name sponsors—including IBM, AT&T and Verizon—having pulled out ahead of time due to coronavirus concerns.

A couple days into the convention, San Francisco declared a state of emergency to prepare and ready for a possible outbreak of the highly contagious virus. 

Not only were hotel workers concerned with potential infection, but other groups had started to cancel the accommodations and uncertainty grew as the Game Developers Conference—a conference that would have brought in an estimated crowd of 30,000 attendees to the city in mid-March—canceled.

From there, the situation quickly escalated. Procuring essential items became difficult. Hand sanitizer, cleaning products, masks and nitrile gloves became difficult to obtain. 

As cancellations continued and shifts dwindled, workers were urged to use vacation days and voluntary unpaid days off were now also an option. 

Illustration: Patrick Tamayo

Hotel managers became creative with their schedules and workers—most that are used to fluctuating schedules that are based on business needs and seniority—adjusted their routines to coincide with the sudden lack of business.

Hotel occupancy declined. Frequent liquor and beer orders stopped. The usual daily deliveries of fresh pastries, meat and produce were cut-back or canceled all together. 

With skeleton crews in place in the majority of departments, the employees that were on property attempted to make the best of the situation, but uncertainty was heavy. 

At the same time, the almost always bustling South of Market streets did little to ease employee’s anxiety, as near empty streets surrounded the area because companies had already made the decision for most employees to work from home. 

Trains and buses that would normally be packed during rush-hour commutes traveled almost empty. It was a surreal experience for everyday commuters who were accustomed to tight commutes. 

The thought of hotels closing was discussed in hushed tones among employees, but no one thought that it would actually happen. 

Hotel employees are accustomed to being open 365 days a year around the clock. Working at a hotel comes with the knowledge that your property will be operating every day of the year and up until now, closing was never an option.

On March 16 employees—that should have been preparing to host and service game developers from around the globe—were blindsided by the unthinkable news that operations would seize. Employees were left scrambling to make sense of the unbelievable situation they were suddenly in.

“COVID-19 is something none of us expected or were prepared for on this scale,” said Roger Huldi, a San Francisco hotel executive and general manager. “[It] is more challenging from an economy standpoint than 9/11 and the Great Recession in 2009 combined.” 

Employees have sat at home for over a month-and-a-half and with San Francisco extending the shelter-in-place order until the end of May, the situation remains grim for hospitality workers around the city. 

“There is tremendous worry about [business returning] … we don’t believe business is going to come back,” said Unite Here Local 2 shop steward John Elrod. “The model that we’re going by is that if everything goes perfectly, which no one expects is going to happen, that we might be up to 50 percent [occupancy] by the first of the year.”

Although, most employees are eligible for unemployment benefits, as well as aid from the coronavirus relief bill, employees are aware, and filled with anxiety, knowing this cannot sustain them for the long haul and that assistance will not last forever.

To make matters worse, Unite Here Local 2—the union that represents over 14,000 Bay Area hotel workers—estimates that they will diminish their reserve funding that is covering employee benefits at the end of July.

“We had to go into our reserves … all the local team members are covered through July 31st … that’s a real concern that we’re trying to deal with right now, figuring out how we’re going to extend people’s healthcare,” Elrod said. “We’re of the mindset this is going to last a lot longer than people want it to or think that it might.”

What the future holds for hotel operations remains to be seen. Most hotels already have meticulous operating procedures in place in regards to cleaning and maintaining cleanliness, but what additional steps or changes remain up in the air.

“At this point we can only guess what it will be like.  An enormous focus on cleanliness and protection will be part of daily life,” Huldi said. “[Food and Beverage] in the country, state and city will be reset and I am not sure yet what the new landscape will look like.”

Due to the quick-spreading nature of the coronavirus, updated cleaning procedures will likely be a factor in determining how hotels will function.

“We are developing all new cleanliness and sanitation strategies,” San Francisco hotel executive Mike Baier said. “When things return to normal our guests and associates will understand all the steps we have taken to ensure a safe environment.”

Elrod said that talks at the national level between their international union and the corporations that run hotels have not produced any kind of amicable resolutions on future work related procedures due to uncertainty.

“They’re not being very responsive and nobody so far has agreed to anything in terms of health and safety protocols,” Elrod said.

This unprecedented event has shaken the hospitality industry to its core and thousands of employees are left wondering when they can return to work and how different their jobs will be once they do return.

With social distancing likely extending into the near future, whether guests will want help with their luggage, food delivered into their rooms or workers coming into their rooms to clean remains unclear.

“Absolutely changes will be made. I’m sure there will be new standards for how the hotel is sanitized,” said Jillian Maffucci-Davies, an Orlando, Florida area operations manager. “Sadly things will be put in place reducing the contact and affecting the guest experience.”

While the Unite Here Local 2 union hall is currently closed, Elrod said the employees are working long hours from home staying in contact with their members and providing as many resources as possible, including navigating the somewhat intricate process of applying for unemployment benefits.

The hospitality industry, like so many others, is hurting and employees are just hoping to make ends meet. What happens once they are able to return is currently unknown, but it is very likely that check-ins will never be the same again.