Omni says local job loss claims by Greenbrier are ‘completely false’ 

By RealWV Staff, 

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – In a revised court filing yesterday, as first reported by Brad McElhinny with WV MetroNews, The Greenbrier Hotel’s ownership leveled charges that Omni Hotels plans to replace local employees with those from other properties. 

“We’ve obtained information that TRT intends to take over The Greenbrier and run it with employees from the Homestead, which is another resort about 40 miles away in Virginia,” said Steve Ruby, an attorney representing the Justice Companies and The Greenbrier. “That would put the jobs of hundreds of West Virginians who work at The Greenbrier at risk.”

The Greenbrier Hotel is the largest employer in the county, with many local families dependent on direct or indirect jobs connected to the luxury resort. 

Omni called claims of job loss “completely false” in a statement to RealWV on Thursday morning. 

“Should WSSH or Omni Hotels Corporation become involved in the operation of the hotel, they would be fully committed to the employees, vendor community and all stakeholders in The Greenbrier Resort, including fair treatment, competitive compensation and benefits, and honoring all obligations including contributions to employee benefit funds,” the statement from Tiffani Cailor said. “TRT Holdings and its affiliates have a long-standing history of honoring financial commitments to its employees and partners. Assertions regarding potential harm or loss of jobs to employees at The Greenbrier are completely false.”

The claims of potential job losses come in the midst of a legal battle between TRT Holdings, an affiliate of Omni Hotels, and the Justice Companies, over ownership of the historic hotel. TRT purchased nearly $300 million of debt previously owed by the Justice Companies to Carter Bank & Trust. 

A subsequent civil lawsuit was filed by The Greenbrier Hotel Corporation seeking $500 million in damages, with a request for a jury trial in Greenbrier County. The revised complaint alleging harm to local jobs was included in that lawsuit earlier this week. 

Omni called the civil suit an attempt to “deflect” from the issue at hand. 

“The allegations are false and attempt to deflect from a straightforward issue: the failure to repay outstanding debt,” according to Cailor. “Within the last 30 days WSSH has sent wire instructions to settle the debt, and the Justice entities have failed to remit payment. It is time for Senator Justice to pay his debt or place The Greenbrier into the hands of someone with a long track record of caring for iconic resorts and the communities they support.”

A federal court hearing has been set for early June by Judge Frank Vogel in Charleston to consider Omni’s request that the hotel be replaced into a receivership.