Reeling from the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic, innkeepers from Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket have joined forces to write a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker seeking guidance from the state to safely reopen their businesses for the summer.

“As the season is soon upon us, it is critical that we begin to reopen and prepare our hotel, restaurants, and other tourism-based businesses,” the letter says in part. “If we lose the summer season the impact will be devastating to our Island’s economies and our businesses.”

The letter was sent May 4.

Formed via Zoom meetings over the past three weeks, the group includes 26 hotel and inn owners from Martha’s Vineyard and 32 from Nantucket. Among the things the letter says inns and hotels on the two Islands provide 2,751 jobs and pump more than $386 million into the local economies through tourist spending. The numbers were provided by the two Island chambers of commerce. With hotels now closed, members of the group are concerned the economic impact will reach far beyond hoteliers.

“Hotels receive their income by virtue of people staying in the hotels,” said Mark Snider, who owns the Winnetu resort hotel in Edgartown and the Nantucket Inn on Nantucket. “If they are not allowed to do so, hotels will go out of business. And that is a serious issue . . . for everyone.” Mr. Snider said.

The letter asks the governor to lay out specific guidelines for reopening hotels by May 18, the tentative end of the shelter-in-place order. The owners said they understand that safety restrictions will be needed that will still strain business, such as a reduced gathering capacity.

But Dianne Carr, spokesman for the Martha’s Vineyard Lodging Group and owner of the Hob Knob, a boutique hotel in Edgartown, said without guidance on how to safely reopen, she fears many hotels will not be able to open at all. She said remaining closed through Memorial Day and into the early summer is not a viable option.

“We are trying to anticipate a summer, but it is putting a big hesitation on folks who don’t want to make a commitment to come,” Ms. Carr said. “Our big booking window for the summer was in March. When all of this hit, the impact was immediate. At this point, people are not getting calls for reservations. They are only getting calls for cancellations.”

Hotel owners said they are committed to following protocols provided by the state to maintain a safe environment. But until guidelines are presented, they have no option but to remain closed, Ms. Carr said.

“We just need to pivot and figure out how we react to whatever we are given [by the state],” she said. “We are asking for a heads up so we can have the preparatory time to make that pivot, and our businesses can have the least impact possible.”

Most of the hotels that signed the letter are small, family businesses, Ms. Carr said. Many have applied for Small Business Administration loans to soften the economic blow. But she said even the maximum amount of financial relief will not offset the losses of continued closure.

The letter concludes: “We ask you to give us a fighting chance to salvage what is left of the season and save our communities from economic collapse.”