Coronavirus In MN: Survey Shows 70% Of Resorts, Campgrounds Suffering Dangerous Revenue Drop
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Restaurants and resorts across Minnesota say they're running out of time and money.
Hospitality Minnesota CEO Liz Remmer says they estimate that if some businesses don't fully re-open in the next two months, they will be forced to close for good.
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Cascade Vacation Rentals is the largest rental property company in northern Minnesota. WCCO spoke with its media coordinator, Jaye White.
"At Cascade, and most of actually the businesses up here on the North Shore, we only really make money May through September," White said.
Since the day they closed in March, they've been planning a safe return.
"The only thing we couldn't figure out really was the linens and blankets. So the easiest thing to do was eliminate those, and now we're just asking guests to bring their own," White said.
Staff will also be wearing PPE and regularly disinfecting rooms. Cascade believes they are ready for business, and just need the stay-at-home order to be lifted.
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For many, that can't come soon enough. A survey conducted by Explore Minnesota shows 70% of resorts and campgrounds have seen a dangerous drop in revenue.
The hospitality industry, which also includes hotels, says it's crucial that they have customers during the prime 100 days of summer. If that doesn't happen, many say they won't be back. Some popular restaurants and bars have already closed for good, and more are expected to follow.
"We would expect at this point that probably 15% have already closed their doors. It's a very low-margin business," Remmer said.
She says struggling businesses range from brand new to others that have been in families for generations. She said some will need time to re-stock and re-train employees so customers feel comfortable coming back.
"There's definitely ways to do this safely, and we're ready to really make that happen," Remmer said.
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