Source: skift Inc.

It should have been an upbeat spring semester for University of Denver senior Sophia Burge.

After working coveted internships at the Montage Deer Valley ski resort and the Baccarat Hotel in New York City, the hospitality business management student learned in February she had landed her dream job in the management training program at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina. The only anxiety left on her radar should have been a last round of finals and saying goodbye to friends after graduation.

Then came coronavirus.

"We were about to graduate into one of the best climates for hospitality ever, and it's just changed drastically," Burge said.

For now, she is still in an enviable position compared to hospitality majors across the country in the class of 2020. In March, she signed her job contract only to have Four Seasons reach out requesting patience and flexibility due to most of their properties temporarily closing due to coronavirus. Four Seasons told Burge there would be an update on her job scenario sometime in April, she said.

With an expected July start date, Burge is optimistic she'll keep her job but potentially have to adjust to a later time. Others aren't as lucky.

Skift talked to students and faculty in hospitality programs at universities across the country, and all said internships had been cut short and job offers rescinded due to the coronavirus downturn in travel zapping the job market.

Read the full article at skift Inc.