The Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa abruptly closed spa services during the holiday weekend amid a labor dispute with staff.

Massage therapists working Saturday evening said they were told it would be their final day after the last client left. Then about a dozen part-time employees said they were notified via email that evening that their employment would end effective immediately.

In a letter to staff, Don West, Cannery Pier’s general manager, said the hotel would be “ceasing spa operations.” The letter instructed them to pick up their final paycheck Monday afternoon.

West said the decision was made because of lower business levels in the winter and spring seasons and upcoming renovations.

“There’s never a good time to do something like this. It’s horrendous on the staff, it’s horrendous on the hotel,” West said. “It’s an entire hotel renovation and there’s a lot of thought that needs to be taken place on how the spa might fit into that going forward. So, we just had to make this determination at this time, and I feel very badly for the staff. I feel very badly for the community.”

The former employees walked together to the hotel on Monday to pick up their last paychecks. They said they believe the decision came after a letter they sent Feb. 13 to corporate officials at Vesta Hospitality — the Vancouver, Washington, based company that purchased the hotel last year — regarding a change in the pay structure, which they say would result in a pay cut.

“After cutting all existing fringe benefits for spa staff, like quarterly bonuses and discounts, Vesta then offered a wage reduction which would result in a substantial loss of income for all spa therapists. This new pay structure was scheduled to go into effect on Sunday,” the former employees said in an

email. Spa therapists “respectfully declined” the proposed pay structure and requested that their wages remain the same. They stated they were willing to continue to work at their current rate during the negotiation process. They said they received no response to the letter.

“The night before the new pay structure was to go into effect, all spa employees received the notification of the spa’s immediate closure and termination of employment, leaving 13 employees and their dependents without income,” the former employees said.

The massage therapists said they were told by management they would be given their client contact information to continue serving them at another location. However, they said they have learned that the hotel is referring clients to other local businesses.

”Spa staff, some of whom have been with the Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa since it opened 14 years ago, are still in shock and saddened for their clients who were left without their scheduled appointments and much needed therapies, many of whom rely on these treatments for chronic health issues and injury recovery; as well as for the clients that were left without services on Valentine’s Day weekend,” former employees said.

The closure also sparked criticism on social media.

“After the architect and owner Jake (Jacob) passed away this hotel was sold to a corporation. A corporation that fired the entire spa staff with zero notice or apology. Disgusting. We will never come back and I will steer tourists elsewhere. What a terrible way to do business in a small town,” Kirsten Norgaard, the owner of Kit’s Apothecary in Astoria, wrote Sunday in a review on the hotel’s Facebook page.

“A lot of us feel like the spirit of the Cannery Pier is getting lost,” said Cameron Wagner, a former employee for the spa.

Vesta Hospitality purchased the hotel last year from the estate of late founder Robert “Jake” Jacob, who died in 2018 .

Vesta announced on Wednesday that the Cannery Pier is planning a multimillion-dollar renovation, which the company expects to complete by the end of the year. The renovation includes upgrades to the spa, lobby, rooms, kitchen and the addition of a full bar.

The hotel and spa will remain open throughout the renovation, but spa treatments have been suspended.

West said he believes Vesta Hospitality will help the hotel.

“The hotel as it was, had gotten to a place where if we were going to move forward, we needed help from a corporation like this that has a lot of support to move the dial forward. So, yeah, I can understand why some people think we’re losing the charm, but they really don’t want to lose that charm. They want to enhance it as much as they can,” he said.

“These are good people and I think they’ll be good partners for the community and good partners for the staff going forward. I’ve been here 14 years and I’ve worked for a lot of people over the years, and I couldn’t be happier with the transition that’s happened. Is that going to be great for everybody? Obviously not. It hurt me to have to do this, but it was a necessary thing to do.”