By BROOKE SNAVELY
CENTRAL OREGON DAILY NEWS
It is going to be a quiet holiday at area resorts.
Local resorts are adjusting services and amenities to comply with the two-week freeze to slow the coronavirus pandemic, just in time for what should’ve been a busy holiday period.
Visitors will be cooking their own meals or ordering takeout. Many of the amenities that attract people to resorts such as pools and skating rinks are closed for two weeks.
And Mt. Bachelor won’t be open for skiers and snowboarders until Dec. 7th.
“People are coming to rent a home or stay at the lodge. All coming with expectations of celebration, going to brunch, having access to our facilities. Obviously, the governor’s orders change all that,” said Tom O’Shea, Sunriver Resort Managing Director. “People can still visit. We are open. We are a safe place to stay. On the restaurant side, it’s a pretty significant impact. We have to cancel all those reservations.”
Several resorts we checked with today, including Pronghorn, Seventh Mountain and Sunriver are planning take-out service only at their restaurants and closing amenities on the freeze list.
Others are still finalizing plans, making a big impact on workers and their paychecks.
“It will be a significant impact on employees. We are a seasonal facility as are most resorts,” O’Shea said. “To lose work a few days before Thanksgiving and just a month before Christmas, it’s a big challenge for them.”
O’Shea says reservations are down for this Thanksgiving compared to previous years, but last-second bookings are possible.
“Everything is so last minute now. We have people calling us on the same day to come and stay with us,” he said. “That was unheard of before. Used to be people making reservations six weeks and two months out. Now people are waiting to see what restrictions are in place, what can you offer, so it’s really a day-to-day situation.”
Job losses are anticipated during the freeze, especially in the food services industry.
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release predictions of the potential impact later this week.
