Omni Homestead closed temporarily during 2020 pandemic

The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs announced Friday that it is closing from March 29 until June 1, due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The global health crisis has hit the hospitality industry swiftly and significantly. Like many hotels, we’ve felt the impact and made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend operations at The Omni Homestead Resort,” Omni Hotels & Resorts President Peter Strebel said in a statement. “Our intent is to reopen the resort as quickly as possible, although we will reassess each week. Our associates are the heart of our business and we’re working diligently to minimize the impact for them. We are thankful for the continued support from our guests and family of associates and know we will weather this storm and come out much stronger.”

The resort instituted employee furloughs and cut worker hours a week ago, in light of the economic crisis. The lodging and hotels industry has lost more than 23,000 jobs in Virginia as a result of the coronavirus crisis, according to the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association. Major hotel chains like Marriott and McLean-based Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. have furloughed or issued pay cuts to thousands of workers.

Omni has posted a travel advisory for several of its properties, including the Homestead, saying it would waive cancellation fees for reservations through April 30.