Medical staff working to treat COVID-19 patients often have to make the difficult decision of whether or not to sleep at home with their families given their high risk of exposure to the virus. Fortunately, the “Hospitality for Hope” gives these doctors and nurses a comfortable and safe alternative if they do not want to stay in their own homes. The initiative is matching healthcare workers with hotel properties to offer them temporary housing during the crisis.
The initiative is organized by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) to house the medical community safely and comfortably. Hotels are seeing diminished demand due to canceled travel plans and medical staff need semi-isolated places to stay, so the matchup is a perfect fit.
Over 15,000 hotel properties are participating in the program offering 2.3 million rooms in close proximity to critical medical facilities. The “Hospitality for Hope” database is working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local emergency management, and public health agencies to connect the rooms with those in need.
This initiative is a great way for the hospitality industry to give back to those on the front line fighting the virus and to ensure medical staff has a comfortable place to spend their limited hours off without worrying about endangering their loved ones.
