(Reuters circulated the following on January 9.)
CHICAGO — The Greenbrier Hotel, the resort and spa in the Allegheny Mountains where the U.S. government built a top-secret nuclear shelter for Congress during the Cold War, said on Friday it would furlough hundreds of workers because of the harsh business environment for luxury resorts.
The storied resort, owned by railroad operator CSX Corp (CSX.N), said it would furlough about 650 hourly and salaried employees over the next two weeks.
Located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Greenbrier said in a statement that its occupancy levels could not support current staffing levels. It said in a statement that normal staffing levels have been about 1,350.
“This is a very difficult decision at a very difficult time,” said Michael Gordon, president and managing director of the resort. “We will be conducting meetings with the affected employees to help them access the services they need.”
Greenbrier said in the statement that historically, business improves in the late spring and summer, and that it anticipated that some of the furloughed employees could return at that time.
The resort said the furloughs announced on Friday were significantly greater than those associated with seasonal declines. Greenbrier hotel has existed since 1778.
During the Cold War, the U.S. government built a 112,000-square-foot bunker beneath one wing of the sprawling hotel. The bunker was meant to be used by as many as 2,500 members of the U.S. House of Represenatives and Senate and their families in the event of a nuclear attack on the United States.
In addition to living and sleeping quarters, the bunker had meeting chambers for the two legislative bodies, a cafeteria, and medical facilities. It was secret until 1992, when The Washington Post newspaper wrote about it. The underground facility is now a tourist attraction.
Greenbrier is on the list of historic hotels in America.