Donations of unused food supplies
Many hotels getting ready to close their door temporarily have donated their unused food supplies to staff or local charities. Event organisers facing last-minute cancellations of large dinners and parties as well as airlines have done the same, thus offering their staff and those in need welcome help in this time of crisis.
“We had planned for a 600-person plated lunch and a 1,000-person dinner,” said Kayla Petsche, Pacificwild’s director of sales. “But with the cancellations and food already ordered, we wanted to ensure our community benefited by donating the food to a local meal-provider like Blanchet House.”
It is undeniable that healthcare workers around the world deserve help and support available in these trying times. To do their part in this, hotels have started offering free or reduced-rate stays. The Four Seasons Hotel New York, for example, which is temporarily closed now, will house doctors, nurses and other medical workers free of charge. Other hotels, like the Gran Hotel Colon and the Marriott Auditorium, are supporting hospitals by offering rooms to mild-case coronavirus patients.
The cruise industry is also doing its part. Carnival Cruise Line has offered to provide shifts for use as temporary hospitals for non-COVID patients, so they don’t risk infection due to a hospital stay.
Although many hotels have furloughed their employees, especially the larger groups have pledged to support their teams at this time.
Hyatt has set up its Hyatt Care fund, to offer funds to staff who are in financial distress due to hours being cut. Accor has launched a similar program and has even promised to foot the hospital bills of employees who don’t have health insurance but need treatment for COVID-19.
