The Four Seasons The Biltmore complex in Santa Barbara has canceled all bookings and events until 2022, according to several employees interviewed this week by Noozhawk.
Employees say they are now talking to a lawyer with the intention of initiating a class action lawsuit against the company. They say they deserve severance pay, according to the terms of their employment contracts.
No one in the hotel returned Noozhawk’s calls this week. An operator who answered the phone said he had sent messages to management.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced the hotel to close a year ago, most other hotels have reopened and there are currently no restrictions on reopening the hotel industry.
Four Seasons The Biltmore at 1260 Channel Drive and owned by hotelier Ty Warner has a long-standing reputation as a five-star beach hotel.
Employees said they were told at a March conference call that the hotel was closed “until further notice” and that reservations and events had been frozen until 2022. The news came as a shocking surprise, as in November they were told said the hotel will reopen on May 1.
Then, just four days ago, the company announced in a post on social networks that the resort manager is leaving The Biltmore after 13 years.
“If the general manager disappears, he doesn’t look very positive,” said one employee.
It was one of the rare pieces of communication from the company.
Noozhawk does not identify employees because they fear revenge. They are also looking for other jobs and do not want to be perceived as a problem maker.
Employees, however, described a grim situation. Some of the 450 six-figure workers previously took jobs to deliver Whole Foods or drive to Uber. Others lost their homes.
People pass the closed Coral Casino at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore in Santa Barbara. It seems that the resort has canceled all reservations and events until 2022. (Joshua Molina / photo Noozhawk)
Technically, the workers were praised, which means they were not fired. They are eligible for unemployment benefits, but for many they are only a fraction of what they usually earn.
They stated that their employment agreement contains an “impact” clause, which means that they are entitled to severance pay, based on years of work, if the hotel closes without employee fault. However, they were not fired.
Some employees have worked at the resort for several decades and are 50 and 60 years old.
“The most tragic thing is people close to retirement who can’t find jobs at their age,” said one employee.
“Many people suffer without their jobs, and the community has faced greater impacts without partnering with The Biltmore,” said Das Williams, Santa Barbara County’s first district supervisor. “We hope they will reconsider and open up.”
And mental health has a negative effect.
“It’s the biggest challenge because people are connected to their jobs,” Williams said. “You are who you are as a person. It feels like it’s failing. It’s completely victorious to take that away from him. “
In August, hundreds of employees who lost their jobs marched along Coast Village Road to The Biltmore in protest of their treatment. Although many employees have collected unemployment checks, some employees are not citizens, so they cannot collect unemployment checks. While on the road, employees do not have health insurance and do not benefit from the luxury hotel.
The employee said it was time to “close the door” with the chance to reopen the hotel soon.
Employees said workers feel sad.
“You have this beautiful, probably the most beautiful property in Santa Barbara, and it was kind of thrown away,” said one employee. “It simply came to our notice then. Nobody really knows what is really happening and what will happen. “
Although Jeff Frapwell, the county’s executive assistant, said the county does not track hotel bed tax based on specific properties, in March the county said it is about $ 2.8 million lower than the estimated transitional occupancy taxes in largely due to restrictions by The Biltmore.
– Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be contacted at . (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Sign in with Noozhawk on Facebook.