Marriott-Starwood to Shed 163 Jobs in 2017

Layoffs will come from Starwood headquarters in Connecticut.

Over 160 Starwood Hotels and Resorts employees will begin the New Year looking for a new job after the hotel chain parent company announced a round of layoffs at the Stamford, Connecticut headquarters. In a filing with the Connecticut Department of Labor, Marriott International announced they would cut 163 personnel starting on December 31, 2016.

The cuts were first reported by Skift on Tuesday, November 1. A spokesperson for Marriott told the online publication the layoffs were in line with expectations of the mega-merger between the two hotel brands.

“The Marriott/Starwood integration is in full swing, and with that comes the creation of new positions along with the elimination of some redundancies,” a spokesperson told Skift. “The majority of impacted associates were made aware of the status of their position some time ago.”

The round of layoffs could just be the first for the combined hotel chain, which closed their contentious merger earlier this year. Although Marriott needs to maintain at least 400 staff members in Stamford through 2019 to fulfill obligations to the State of Connecticut, the combined company has not yet taken complete stock of their employment needs now or in the future.

“While we don’t have an exact number of jobs that will be impacted in Stamford at this time, we will know more about staffing decisions as we continue the integration process,” the Marriott spokesperson told Skift. “We also anticipate that many associates will find new opportunities within the company and we will be working closely with them through this process.”

The ultimate goal for the combined company is to consolidate staff in a larger headquarters complex in the Maryland, where Marriott is currently headquartered. While officials in Stamford expressed their displeasure with the move, they reaffirmed the move would not kill jobs moving to the area.

“We have been aware of the Starwood and Marriott merger, which is disappointing for Stamford and Starwood employees,” David Martin, mayor of Stamford, said in a statement. “Stamford remains a great place for companies and businesses of all sizes, and we are working hard to attract and retain companies that will create Stamford jobs long-term.”

[Photo: Marriott Hotels]