JW Marriott, Indianapolis, all set to reopen

The JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis is taking reservations with plans to reopen to guests this Thursday, July 9.

Indiana’s largest hotel temporarily closed down operations more than 100 days ago due to the business decline caused by COVID-19. At that time, roughly 600 people worked at the JW Marriott in various capacities. Over the last few months, however, that staff has been reduced to only a handful of people, according to a report by Fox59.

A rehiring process is underway to support the reopening.

The hotel and hospitality industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Indianapolis, hotels lost about 90% of their occupancy. VisitIndy estimates about half of the 83,000 residents who rely on hospitality in Indianapolis were forced out of work by the health crisis.

Patrick Tamm, president of the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association, said reopening the JW Marriott will send a signal that the hospitality industry is ready to start a comeback.

The hotel’s reopening includes several renovations that have been happening in the last couple months while the building was empty. It also includes the ‘Stay Confident’ cleaning program, which involves multiple precautionary sterilization measures to guard against the spread of COVID-19 within the building.

Guests arriving at the hotel will notice hand sanitizers stations throughout the lobby, plexiglass shields, TV remotes wrapped in plastic and no-touch digital food menus.

The hotel has introduced a plan called Meet Confident, which includes enhanced procedures to keep meetings and event attendees safe from the coronavirus.