The City of Jacksonville proudly awarded a city council resolution to the United States Marine Corps on Monday, recognizing their contributions to a post COVID-19 economy. 

Since early January, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville has been the site of Operation ROM, the United States Marine Corps’ Restriction of Movement recruiting mission. Many hotel employees who were out of work were brought back to Jacksonville as a result of the influx of recruits, providing a much needed surge within the tourism industry. The new recruits, referred to as “poolees'' by Colonel Riccoh Player, were instructed to stay at the Hyatt for a 14-day quarantine session. After this period, they were sent on to Parris Island, a main recruit training site in South Carolina.

Joe Hindsley, Hyatt Jacksonville’s General Manager, expressed his gratitude to Colonel Player and the Marine Corps for selecting the Hyatt as the “east coast location of its 2021 recruiting mission.” Over the six month period in which 7,720 Marine recruits and staff inhabited the Hyatt, an economic impact of over $26 million helped pull a struggling downtown Jacksonville area out of a pandemic-induced rut. Tommy Hazouri, President of the Jacksonville City Council, thanked the Marine Corps for a recruitment contract that helped the city to “recover more quickly than many other destinations both in Florida and nationally.” Also among those who spoke was President and CEO of Visit Jacksonville Michael Corrigan, who’s company worked closely with Hyatt Regency during the booking process. Corrigan shared facts and figures about the Marine Corps’ stay while pointing out the positive impact to local businesses, stating that “without this critical support, many of these businesses would not have been able to remain open and operational during the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 

Colonel Player spoke after receiving the award from President Corrigan and immediately reciprocated the sense of gratitude, thanking the Hyatt staff for “the unparalleled hospitality that provided the range of motion for us to do our job.” Player noted that the surrounding area of Jacksonville was different from what he has been used to, but in a good way. His words were accompanied with a tone of appreciation and a willingness to have the Marine Corps return in the future. When the first press member after the conclusion of the conference asked when they would return, it seemed pretty apparent that Jacksonville would be glad to have them back, too.