Coronavirus and Meetings
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Hotels across the country have been forced into temporary closures due to COVID-19, but many properties are putting their empty rooms to good use. More than 15,000 hotels have signed up for Hospitality for Hope, an initiative from the American Hotel and Lodging Association designed to offer temporary housing for emergency and health-care workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Some hotels may even be used as emergency hospitals or to house those in quarantine, if needed.
Hospitality for Hope aims to connect the hotel industry with local, state and federal governments to help employees and communities during this trying time. The initiative has already identified 2.3 million rooms near health-care facilities that can be used in the fight against coronavirus.
AHLA is working with its state association partners and the Department of Health and Human Services to create a national database, where government officials at the local, state and federal levels can search for participating properties based on geographic location. In addition, the organization has rolled out free resources for hospitality employees, including online hospitality management courses, professional development scholarships for AHLA certifications and online continuing education programs.
"It has been so impressive to see hotel after hotel join this important initiative as a way of giving back to the communities in which they operate," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. "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 front lines of this public health crisis. Hotels have always been an active member of our local communities, and this time is no different."