The Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association is asking Gov. J.B. Pritzker to make adjustments to Phase 4 of his five-part Restore Illinois plan in hopes that it might help the hard hit industry rebound from the impact of COVID-19.
“Our occupancy rate is still in some regions in the teens and in the best-case scenario in the 20s, which is never a good sign when you look at last year typically are in the 70 to 80 percent range this time of year,” President and CEO Michael Jacobson said in assuring anyone who will listen that the association can safely accommodate more.
With the industry already having shed thousands of jobs, Jacobson insisted “our proposal is to instead base it on a percentage of occupancy of the ballroom or venue where the event is held because we have venues that are far larger that have high ceilings and great ventilation.”
Without changes to the reopening plan, Jacobson said many hotels may be forced to close permanently. He added the group has been in communication with the governor’s office and he is hopeful something can be worked out.
“We’re confident that we will be able to work in partnership with the governor’s team and the Department of Public Health to find a safe way to gradually increase that number of people allowed in these events so that we can start putting people back to work responsibly,” he added.
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