Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 1:05 PM EDT Mar 13, 2020
One of the biggest and best known Easter brunches in the Fox Cities has been canceled.
The Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley sent out a notice that its Easter brunch will not take place on April 12.
Like sports events and other large gatherings, the cancellation was done as a proactive measure to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus concerns have also curtailed travel, and the hotel is seeing cancellations from business travelers and conventions.
“We have experienced a major drop in occupancy that coincides with what the majority of our industry is experiencing,” Linda Garvey, general manager told The Post-Crescent.
The next door Fox Cities Exhibition Center, which the hotel manages, is also seeing an immediate effect.
“The majority of events during this spring event season have postponed to summer and fall dates,” she said.
The annual Easter brunch is held in the Paper Valley hotel’s ballroom in downtown Appleton and draws an average of 1,200 people.
“We recognize the impact this will have on many families that were planning to attend this event. Our team felt it was important to make this decision sooner rather than later so plans can be adjusted by those impacted,” Garvey said in a public statement.
Separately, Garvey said the cancellation will result in a “substantial revenue loss” for the hotel “but more importantly is the income loss for our associates” who staff the event.
She said the event has gone on every year since the early 1980s.
The hotel itself remains open and added procedures to step up its cleaning, including spending more time in the public areas. Door handles, elevator buttons and handrails will be cleaned at least every hour, she said.
“Like many others, we’re taking guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommends regular cleaning as one of the most important preventive measures we can take,” Garvey said.
The annual Mother’s Day brunch on May 10 is still on the hotel’s schedule and has not been changed.
“However, we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our efforts based on changing conditions and recommendations from the CDC and our local government and health officials to help ensure the health and well-being of all,” she said.
Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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