McKibbon establishes 90-day associate assistance fund

After laying off the majority of its employees due to COVID-19, McKibbon Hospitality has decided to establish an associate assistance fund. Aimed at assisting former employees with groceries and other necessities, the fund will provide payments of $200 every two weeks for all recently laid-off employees for 90 days beginning April 3.

“Our associates are like family and are truly the heart of our business, which has made this unfortunate situation so difficult,” McKibbon Hospitality President Randy Hassen said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting them through these challenging times in any way that we can, just like they’ve supported us over the years. Once the outbreak is contained, we look forward to restoring our operations and bringing as many employees back to work as possible.”

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For the past 17 years McKibbon Hospitality has partnered with Marketplace Chaplains to ensure all hotel guests, associates and their families have 24/7 access to a chaplain trained to support their emotional needs during challenging times. The operator plans to extend this service to all those let go due to the pandemic.

Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., McKibbon Hospitality operates dozens of hotels for Marriott International, Hilton, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and IHG. It has suspended operations at several of these hotels.