Crowne Plaza Danbury switches from furloughs to laying off 78

One month after announcing it was furloughing 56 of its employees, Danbury”™s Crowne Plaza Hotel shifted gears and laid off 78 members of its staff.

Pyramid Danbury Management LLC, which managed the hotel property and hiring practices on behalf of the hotel”™s owners, had initially stated in a March 23 letter to the Connecticut Department of Labor that the furlough was scheduled to run between March 19 and May 18. But in a new letter dated April 23 and sent to both the department and to Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, Pyramid Danbury Management stated the hotel”™s ownership terminated its contract, which resulted in the layoff the 78 staff members.

“Pyramid does not know the hiring intentions of its replacement,” the letter stated. “Pyramid had no prior notice of ownership”™s decision to retain a new management company.”

Fairfield County”™s hotel industry has been hard-hit during the pandemic, with lodging establishments either temporarily closing or being transitioned into housing to accommodate frontline medical professionals and public safety workers.