Marriott International will cease operating the Seattle Marriott Redmond early next year.
According to an official Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed Nov. 4, management at Marriott International located at 7401 164th Ave. NE, in Redmond, Washington will be terminated effective Jan. 5, 2027. This termination will result in the formal layoff of 91 employees of the establishment.
Hotel Expected to Remain Open Under New Operator
All employment terminations under Marriott International are expected to be permanent. However, the WARN notice indicates that operations at the hotel may not result in a mass layoff as ownership of the property is only ending its contract with Marriott and verbiage in the filing reflects the intention of performing a smooth reflagging transition for the staff.
“The hotel is expected to continue operating with a different operator and therefore a different employer. Marriott has been informed that the new operator intends to offer employment to a significant number of the affected employees on comparable terms to their Marriott employment,” the letter states.
Positions Affected by the WARN Notice
The WARN notice identifies employees across several departments at the hotel, including accounting, administration, housekeeping, food and beverage, engineering, finance, human resources, events, front desk operations, and guest services.
The listed positions include general manager, director of hotel operations, director of finance and accounting, director of human resources, director of engineering, assistant managers, department managers, senior managers, accountants, cooks, bartenders, servers, engineers, and guest service employees.
Other affected roles include catering sales executive, destination sales executive, event support expert, guest experience expert, guest environment expert, property administrator, and utility cleaner.
There is no union representation for the employees and because there are no bumping rights, employees are not able to take an alternative job position.
Legal Compliance
Washington’s state WARN law generally requires 60 days’ written notice to the Employment Security Department and affected employees, or their bargaining representative. For a business closing, the law covers a shutdown that causes employment losses for at least 50 employees, excluding part-time employees.
This advance notification allows for ample time for workers to transition to a new employer or reach out to local and state officials if they are in need of assistance with relocations or other job placements or find help with unemployment benefits.
The hotel is expected to remain open under a new operator, although the details of the transition have not yet been announced.
As the Jan. 5 date approaches, more correspondence is expected regarding opportunities for the staff from the new hotel operator.
