Columbia Sussex Corporation, owner of approximately 80 hotels and casinos spanning 30 states, recently purchased Florida's Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa. Since the acquisition, it has been reported that the company has fired a substantial number of employees at the resort.

The recent buy-out is in large contrast to the company's typical modus operandi. David McKee, an expert on the gambling industry, stated that the acquisition is in "conflict with their trademark propensity for thrift". He went on to add, "As opposed to raising revenue, they seem to be bent on lowering staffing."

It is unclear why Columbia Sussex has fired hundreds of employees. Though many attempts have been made to retrieve comments from Columbia Sussex CEO William Yung III, no response has been yielded.

The displaced workers were offered free employment counseling and other services via a seminar held at the resort by the Career and Services Center team in Fort Myers. According to Barbara Hartman, a spokesperson for the career center, this is the second such seminar held. Ex-Managers of the Sanibel resort were offered a similar service the week prior.