Even as tourism takes a huge hit from the coronavirus, there are hotels and travel companies stepping up to help their communities. Tourism is an industry that has been hardest hit by the pandemic. Airlines and cruise lines stand to loose hundreds of billions in revenue. Tourist hotspots from Rome to Paris are now ghost towns. Hotels around the world have had to close their doors.
In spite of all this, several luxury hotels have joined the fight against COVID-19 in many ways. Empty rooms are being offered to healthcare workers, joining fundraising for local organizations, providing food for their communities and making sure their employees are being taken care of.
Claridge’s, London has been the choice refuge of Hollywood stars and royalty since the 19th century. The hotel is inviting workers of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington to stay at the property with free board. Doctors and nurses will have free breakfast and dinner.
Le Sirenuse, Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, along with three other Amalfi Coast properties, are pledging support to a vaccine research fundraiser called “Together for a COVID-19 Vaccine”. Each hotel will offer ten e-vouchers worth 5000 pounds which will cover stays, various perks, and a dinner at Don Alfonso 1890. The hotel hopes to raise 200,000 pounds through this effort. There is no doubt that once everything is back to normal, Italy we rely on tourism greatly and there will be some great deals. Browse Italy tours and vacations.
AIRBNB in Cape Town is offering free or subsidized housing for frontline COVID-19 responders. The company partnered with UK’s National Health Service, Spain’s Barcelona Official Doctors Association, France’s Ministry of Housing and California’s Sutter Health to facilitate bookings for medical professionals. To date, hosts in 160 countries have opened homes for pandemic responders.
Belmond Charleston Place will provide meals to the city’s neediest through their Charleston Grill restaurant in the Belmond property. Charleston Chefs Feed the Need will partner with local farmers and fishermen to put together donated grocery bags for out-of-work hospitality and food & beverage workers.
Rosewood Cordevalle, San Martin, California is taking care of its employees during the hotel’s closure by preparing care packages tailored to each individual’s needs. They include basics such as eggs, milk, toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The hotel is also providing food to local restaurants to assist with their take-out business and delivering food to law enforcement and elderly communities.
Rancho Valencia, Rancho Santa Fe in Southern California is making sure its employees are taken care of while the property is closed. The hotel has distributed all perishable food to hourly employees and providing tele-medical services, as well as paying their salaries. Along with Sa Diego nonprofit Produce Good, the property is organizing a canned food drive for employees and their families.
UXUA CASA HOTEL, Brazil is preparing healthy meals to distribute to all of the town’s residents.
Four Seasons New York has opened the hotel rooms, free of charge, to the doctors and nurses working overtime at the city’s hospitals located near the hotel’s 57th Street, Billionaires Row location.
Ocean House, Rhode Island is delivering free lunch to local children who have been unable to attend school. Food made by the hotel’s culinary team is being distributed three times a week by food truck.
Several hotels are opening their doors to homeless people fleeing coronavirus. For example, Los Angeles has embarked on a massive and unprecedented effort to bring thousands of homeless people off the streets and into hotels to protect the most vulnerable residents as the coronavirus continues to spread. They plan to open up over 15,000 beds in various hotels around the city. The first hotel opened April 3rd with a total of 1,340 beds. Nurses will be on site to provide regular health checks, there will be security, meals and access to laundry facilities. The governor of California was also working with San Francisco and Oakland. The state is seeking reimbursement from FEMA for the costs. The governor of Virginia announced a similar initiative working with local hotels. New York City also has a similar program in place, but has not mentioned which hotels there are providing shelter.
