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An employee at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown works at the front desk. It is one of the four hotels hosting teams competing in this year's NCAA Men's Division I basketball championships.
Samantha Horton/IPB NewsAfter quickly grinding to a halt last spring, officials say Indiana’s hotels and restaurants are slowly recovering.
It’s estimated hotels in the state lost 45 percent in total sales last year. Hoosier restaurants also faced losses and are still below pre-pandemic levels. But Patrick Tamm, president and CEO of the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association, said Indiana is the top state in the Midwest in sales and revenue.
He said Indiana’s hospitality industry has been recovering better than the rest of the country, but still has a ways to go.
“Hotels nationally as well as in Indiana do not expect to be back to pre-pandemic levels of revenue until 2024,” said Tamm. “Restaurants on the other hand, may get there sooner. But really, we don't see that for another full year or more.”
He said with March Madness and other events, Indianapolis convention hotels need workers at a time when many in the country do not.
Contact reporter Samantha at shorton@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @SamHorton5.
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