Omni Hotels & Resorts refutes claims it misused PPP funds
Hospitality union Unite Here has called Omni Hotels & Resorts' use of millions in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding into question, claiming the luxury hotel chain has failed to rehire workers in line with PPP provisions. Omni has refuted the allegations.
In a letter to the Small Business Administration and the Department of the Treasury, Unite Here executive vice president Carlos Aramayo urged "strict scrutiny" into Omni's PPP activity, citing "direct knowledge" around the use of nearly $15 million in funding received by the Omni New Haven in Connecticut, the Omni Parker House in Boston, the Omni Providence in Rhode Island, the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh and the Omni San Francisco.
According to Aramayo, three of those five properties -- the Omni Providence, Omni San Francisco and Omni William Penn -- remain closed, with no union members having been rehired or paid. He also alleged that the Omni New Haven and Omni Parker House have yet to fully ramp up operations and that those hotels have failed to recall more than 80% of union members who work at the properties.
