(Correction, April 22): A previous version of this report incorrectly states that rooms could not be booked on Stay Alfred's site. They can be for stays after Aug. 1. This report and its headline have been updated. BTN regrets the error.
Stay Alfred, an early entrant into the short-term, apartment-style rental arena, has suspended operations. The company, launched in 2010 by CEO Jordan Allen, announced on its website April 1 that it would close its properties for eight weeks during the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, but now says it has suspended operations "until domestic travel can safely resume." The announcement gives a phone number for voicemails but states it will not return calls until normal operations resume.
Inventory cannot be booked before Aug. 1, and the company has closed its Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The industry niche has been struggling since the coronavirus outbreak, with layoffs and reduced locations at multiple competitors. Stay Alfred had raised $62 million, according to Crunchbase.
"Like many hospitality companies, Stay Alfred has temporarily closed its properties during the national state of emergency in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19, aid communities in overcoming this threat, and protect the safety of its local employees," a spokesperson emailed BTN. "This closure did include employee furloughs. We also plan to make strategic reductions in our national footprint, and any other necessary adjustments to our business model. We intend to resume normal operations as quickly and safely as possible. We look forward to better days ahead."
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