Though it was open for most of June, the Hotel Congress’ lobby was without its usually array of sofas and tables. The hotel said Tuesday that the “pandemic has reached a breaking point and for us the only actionable response is to pause our operations.”
Daniel Yak and Em Bell enjoyed a meal in late June on the Hotel Congress patio. After reopening for about a month, the hotel has decided to shut down operations again. Its sister operation, Maynards Market & Kitchen, will stay open.
Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson on May 8, 2019.
It took the iconic Hotel Congress downtown weeks of weighing the pros and cons of reopening before it took the plunge and resumed operations in early June.
Now, as July dawns, it’s closing again as Arizona’s coronavirus cases near 80,000 and continue to rise.
The hotel was expected to close its doors at the end of business Tuesday, according to a note posted on its Facebook page.
“2020, wow is all we can say! After thoughtful and heartbreaking conversations and uncovering every possible approach, our next steps are clear. This pandemic has reached a breaking point and for us the only actionable response is to pause our operations,” the hotel posted Tuesday morning.
The hotel’s sister operation, Maynards Market & Kitchen on East Toole Avenue, will remain open through the summer, said Hotel Congress general manager Todd Hanley, but the hotel and its Cup Café at 311 E. Congress St. will remain closed through July and August.
“The moving target (to reopen) is mid-September because it really doesn’t make sense to open up Labor Day weekend,” Hanley said.
That holiday weekend is historically one of the hotel’s busiest, with its annual four-day Hoco Fest featuring dozens of mostly Tucson and regional bands performing on several downtown stages.
This year’s festival, not surprisingly, is canceled.
Hotel Congress first closed in mid-March after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey enacted his stay-home order. With few exceptions, including briefly offering grocery services, the hotel has remained closed.
Even after Ducey’s order expired on May 15, Hotel Congress chose a wait-and-see approach before resuming operations.
“We opened at that point when most of the science dictated business to start to open, at the end of May, not the beginning of May,” Hanley said.
The Cup Café reopened May 28 and the hotel followed on June 4, with major changes to its operations, including shifting dining onto its patio facing East Toole Avenue.
The hotel also started tiptoeing back into live entertainment, with artists setting up on the patio stage and performing while diners sat at tables on the patio socially distanced at least 6 feet apart. The popular Club Congress venue inside the hotel, which has for years hosted concerts of all genres, has remained closed.
On Monday, Ducey backtracked on his reopening decision and ordered all bars, gyms and pools in the state to close.
Hanley applauded the move but also criticized the state for opening “too early.”
“The reality is it’s easy to point fingers, but it’s better to look in the mirror and control what you can control,” he added.
Only one other time in its 100-year-plus history has Hotel Congress been closed for an extended period, and that was after the 1934 fire that famously led to the capture of outlaw John Dillinger. The hotel’s roof and third floor suffered extensive damage, and the hotel was closed for several months.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Tom "Tiger" Ziegler: "I miss my work, my customers and my co-workers. I don't want my people to get this damn disease." June 30, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Rico Otero: "It's affected me by being limited in going out so much. Learn how to stay in more. Re-learning how to sanitize." June 2, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Pamela Stewart: "We've been turned upside down. Everything is different. For African Americans, we wear a mask and glasses, if I go into a bank or a business I'm already judged. It's a double threat for us as I see it." June 2, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Gabrielle Nunn: "Mostly my daughter. She has autism. The huge change has been stressful for her. She worries about me, being at work." May 14, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Lori VanBuggenum: "Even though the distance hasn't changed, this has made me feel the furthest away from my family. Everyone is in Wyoming. I can't jump on a plane and go see them." May 5, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Benjamin Johnson: "The word uncertainty just keeps coming to mind. I feel the biggest thing for me is being fully open to uncertainty with kindness and compassion." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Cellisa Johnson: "It's affected me financially with my business as well as emotionally, not being able to be hands on with my clients." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Bebe Barbosa: "I am a touching person. I like to hug. I'm missing the embracing." April 24, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Logan Byers: "I'm very conscious how my actions affect other people now, more than ever. Every place I go to I'm conscious of how close I am to people." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Elana Bloom: "It was very shocking. Everything I had planned for – my whole business was canceled over a two day period." Bloom owns Solstice, a textile business and would make most of her money in the Spring to help with the slower months of Summer. April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Kristina Michelle: My cousin passed away four days ago in New Orleans. We can't get an autopsy for a while and there will be no funeral service. April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Pat Fisher: "A friend of a friend is living with me and his three cats. It was only supposed to be temporary, but now he can't find a job or pay for a place to rent. The situation probably won't change until the Fall." April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Lori Adkison: "This is reaffirming my belief in community." April 13, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Sammy Cabrera: "A lot of people grab what they don't need at stores. I don't like the way some people are acting." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Jamie Galindo: "I'm getting over an ex-boyfriend and having to social distance is difficult." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Michelle Arreola: "My whole life is on hold." Job interviews are postponed and the medical college admission test is on hold. April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Kent Bauman: "I've had less of an impact. I work for a solar company so we're running full steam. People are home and are thinking about self-sufficiency and thinking about the environment." April 16, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Trevonn Clark: "I miss going to restaurants and the movies." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Laura Eliason: "I wonder when I'll be able to travel and see my family again." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
George Ortega, retiree: "I am retired. I wear a mask because it makes me feel good and others feel good." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Fox Nopri: "It has definitely affected me by how I keep up with my behavioral health. Most of the places I go have been closed down or have set dates to close." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Jeronimo "Mo" Madril, owner and executive chef of Geronimo's Revenge: "As an owner and driven person, I am very discouraged. It is what it is." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
David Clarke, unemployed bartender: "I am an out of work bartender. Jobs have instantly vanished." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Leonel Cabrera. April 6, 2020.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
Cathalena has covered music for the Star for the past 20 years. She's a graduate of Arizona State University has worked at Sedona Red Rock News, Niagara Gazette in Niagara Falls, New York; and USA Today.
