DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – Following an order by Gov. J.B. Pritzker for all people in Illinois in Illinois to “stay at home” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner of three Decatur hotels is closing one and laying off dozens of people.
Steve Horve, the owner of the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel, told WAND-TV because of the Governor’s order, he is closing the conference center and laying off 70 of the location’s 76 employees.
"It is hard to lay people off, but it is just a business decision and it has to be done," Horve said.
The decision comes as Horve’s business, Horve Hospitality, has seen a decline in business because of the virus outbreak. Horve owns two other hotels besides the Conference Center, including one in Forsyth and one in Mt. Zion.
"It has definitely hurt us with travelers,” Horve said. “Stay at home.”
Horve said between the three hotels, he has 553 rooms, with most of them at the Conference Center. The guests staying at the conference center are being moved to the Mt. Zion hotel.
"I have all of these rooms, so we decided to consolidate until April 7,” he said.
Horve’s cost cutting measures go beyond just moving the guests from the Conference Center and closing the facility. Staff at the Conference Center have dimmed the lights and shut off unused areas. Horve said following the Governor’s announcement, several large events cancelled because of the limit on group sizes. He is hopeful things will eventually return to normal.
"This will be lifted on April 7 and when it does we will bring our people back and get back up operational," he said.
According to Horve, on a normal day, he has an occupancy rate of about 80%. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, that number has been cut in half.
"Business is way off with the order that Gov. Pritzker came out,” Horve said.
Horve said in his 30-years in business, he has never seen anything like the outbreak or made a decision such as this layoff. Hotels and motels are considered an “essential service” under the Governor’s order and can stay in operation.
