Marriott International has confirmed it is permanently laying off 673 of the roughly 4,000 workers at its Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters.
Several media outlets reported the layoffs earlier Friday, citing filings with the Maryland Department of Labor and Montgomery County officials.
Marriott, one of the largest employers in the D.C. area, furloughed two-thirds of its corporate headquarters employees in March, and has extended those layoffs through the end of September.
Marriott spokesperson Connie Kim confirmed the permanent layoffs, but could not confirm that all of those positions being eliminated are associated with employees currently on furlough. A significant portion of the furloughed workers will come back to work at the end of the month, Kim said.
Marriott’s hotel business, as with the entire hospitality industry, has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on travel. The company reported a second quarter net loss of $234 million, compared to a profit of $232 million in the same quarter a year ago.
Its revenue per available room was down more than 84% from a year ago. Occupancy at Marriott-run hotels was 34% of year ago levels as of August, an improvement of just 11% in April.
Marriott is moving its Bethesda headquarters from its current Fernwood Road location to a 30-story headquarters and adjacent Marriott hotel under construction on Wisconsin Avenue near the Bethesda Metro station.
