Hilton Hawaiian Village calls it quit converting Waikiki into a ghost town

Waikiki already feels like a ghost town with most major hotels closed. The Sheraton Waikiki told eTurboNews today, they no longer accept guests but are still open. Trump Hotel and the DoubleTree Hotel in Waikiki appear to operate- at least as of today,

The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is a resort hotel on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. The resort first opened in 1955, and since has grown to become the largest in the Hilton chain of hotels, and one of the largest hotels in the world. It is also the largest hotel in the State of Hawaii.

The hotel told a local news channel it will close down as of Monday because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Guests who are currently at the hotel are in the process of being notified of the closure.

“As we navigate through uncharted waters as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend operations at Hilton Hawaiian Village,” a spokesperson said. “While we have had to temporarily suspend our operations, we are committed to fully restoring operations at our resort and look forward to welcoming guests and team members back as travel restrictions are lifted and business rebounds.”

Officials for Local 5, the union which represents many Waikiki hotel workers, say there are roughly 1,700 unionized employees at the resort ― more than at any other hotel which employs union members.

The union was notified about the closure on Friday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether the employees had been laid off or would be compensated during the closure.

“We will keep you updated,” Local 5 said in a statement.