Employees Being Laid Off at Newport Island Harbor Resort Told They Must “Re-Apply” for Their Jobs

Employees Being Laid Off at Newport Island Harbor Resort Told They Must “Re-Apply” for Their Jobs

Employees at the Newport Island Harbor Resort on Goat Island are being told they will have to “re-apply” for their jobs — after they are laid off in the coming weeks. 

The hotel recently filed with the Rhode Island Department of Labor of Training (RIDLT) that it is laying off 136 employees when renovations are scheduled to begin in November. 

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GoLocal has obtained a letter that was sent by management — to employees — letting them know that the resort does not have an anticipated re-open date, but that employees can re-apply for their jobs when it opens. 

 

"Potential for Supply Chain Problems and Weather Delays"

The following letter was sent by General Manager David Smiley to hotel employees on September 20, 2023. 

"Dear [Employee] — 

This letter is to notify you that Davidson Hospitality Group will be undertaking renovations at the Newport Harbor Island Resort located at 1 Goat Island, Newport, RI 02840. The entire facility will close due to the renovations, and, as a result, employees working at the resort will be laid off.

While we anticipate re-opening the property in the near future, we cannot predict when that will occur due to the potential for supply chain problems and weather delays, among other things. We do encourage you to re-apply when we re-open the hotels [sic]. 

The first employee separations are expected to occur during the 14-day period commencing on November 22, 2023. As a result, your employment will end sometime during the 14-day period commencing on November 22, 2023. 

There are no bargaining rights at this facility.

You may contact me if you require further information about the contents of this letter."

Smiley did not respond to multiple requests for comment by GoLocal.

 

Latest for Hospitality Group 

As GoLocal reported earlier in October:

The property today is owned by the publicly traded Pebblebrook Hotel Trust. The stock has fallen 22% this year from its 52-week high.

The property is scheduled to undergo rehab starting in November and is scheduled to be completed in April.

The hotel is located on Newport’s Goat Island.

According to the property's filing with RIDLT, the 136 being laid off are all non-union positions. The layoffs are scheduled to take effect on November 22. 

In June of 2022, GoLocal reported that Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina on Goat Island was sold to Bethesda, Maryland’s Pebblebrook Hotel Trust.

Gurney's -- which has a resort on Long Island, New York -- had bought the property in 2017. 

The property is a ten-acre waterside resort.