SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The hospitality industry has taken a hit because of the pandemic and now there’s a remote legislative session, some businesses in Santa Fe might face another blow. Because of the pandemic, restaurants are seeing fewer customers and hotels aren’t booking as many reservations as normal.
Now that the Roundhouse is closed off to the public, they’re worried they’ll lose business they depend on this time of year. “That’s a third of our entire inventory for the entire 60-day session and they all canceled, they had to, it’s all virtual,” said the owner of the Pueblo Bonito B&B, Amy Behm.
The Pueblo Bonito Bed and Breakfast is a small boutique hotel. They said typically about a third of their rooms book up for the entire legislative session, but now that lobbyists, special interest groups, and visitors won’t be able to visit the Roundhouse, places like Pueblo Bonito worry it will also impact their business.
Restaurants in the area, like The Shed, said the wintertime in Santa Fe is already tough enough on businesses and they worry they won’t see that bump in customers visiting Santa Fe during the session.
“We’re preparing for a good amount of business for the next couple of months here but we’re also preparing for the possibility that we’ll come in and we won’t see that business,” said the general manager of The Shed, Frank Carroccino.
Lodger’s income tax, which is one source of revenue for the City when people book in hotels or short term rentals, show a spike in revenues in January, presumable because of the start of the legislative session. Some of the restaurants and hotels hope to move into the less-restrictive ‘yellow’ or ‘green zones’ to bring more people to Santa Fe.
