The owner of Premier Inn hotels and Brewers Fayre restaurants has announced plans to slash 6,000 jobs.
Whitbread, who own the hotel chain, confirmed that a consultation process had started with staff and blamed plummeting sales in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bosses hope most of the job cuts could come from workers volunteering to leave the firm.
Sales fell by almost 80 per cent in the financial year running to August 27.
Although Whitbread maintain that their hotels were performing ahead of the market since they re-openened.
Chiefs also reported its restaurants were 'boosted by the positive impact' of the government's Eat Out To Help Out Scheme.
Cuts come as the hospitality sector gears up for new restrictions that could be placed on the industry as Covid-19 cases continue to rise.
Whitbread also acknowledged that the Job Retention Scheme is due to wind down at the end of this month.
The announcement comes hours before the Government is set to outline new coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
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