More than 15,000 hotels have joined the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s initiative to provide healthcare workers with temporary housing amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.
Since the “Hospitality for Hope” effort started approximately two weeks ago, the number of hotels participating has more than doubled. AHLA said some of the hotels may be turned into emergency care facilities as needed.
“As an industry of people taking care of people, the hotel industry is uniquely positioned to support our communities by caring for the first responders who are on the frontlines of this public health crisis,” said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO, in a statement. “Hotels have always been an active member of our local communities, and this time is no different.”
AHLA said it is working on a database to connect its hotel properties with government agencies to streamline the use of its facilities.
The Hospitality for Hope effort has located 2.3 million rooms near healthcare facilities nationwide. The states with the most participating hotels are Texas, California, and Florida, which each have more than 1,000 hotels participating, according to AHLA.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.