- Today, Hilton and American Express announced that they will offer hotel rooms free of charge for up to 1 million workers represented by 10 medical associations across the United States.
- Hilton and American Express will cover stays beginning April 13 through May 31, according to a Hilton press release.
- The hotels will be staffed by Hilton team members, who will be trained on health and safety measures, the release said.
- Hotels are seeing unprecedented declines in occupancy and healthcare agencies are rushing to find resources and beds for medical workers and patients as the coronavirus spreads across the US.
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Hilton and American Express have joined together to offer hotel rooms free of charge to as many as one million medical workers working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic beginning next week.
The companies are initially partnering with 10 medical associations, which represent over one million medical workers across the US, and will cover stays from April 13 through May 31, according to a Hilton press release. The medical associations are:
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- American College of Emergency Physicians
- American Hospital Association
- American Nurses Association
- Emergency Medicine Residents' Association
- Emergency Nurses Association
- National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
- Society of Critical Care Medicine
- Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants
- Society of Hospital Medicine
Doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, and other health professionals who need somewhere to sleep or a place to self-isolate away from their families will be able to stay in a number of Hilton brands, including Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, DoubleTree by Hilton and others, according to the release.
"Knowing that there is a safe, clean, and comfortable hotel room waiting for you at the end of a long shift can make all the difference in the world right now," William Jaquis, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, said.
Hotels will be staffed by Hilton team members who have received training on health and safety measures, according to the release. The rooms and common areas will also be sanitized with industrial-grade cleaners and follow updated cleaning protocols.
Team members will be compensated for their work, a Hilton spokesperson told travel news site Skift.
The press release notes that room availability may be limited in certain "high-demand locations," like New York, which is currently the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
Hilton is also participating in the American Hotel and Lodging Association's Hospitality for Hope campaign, which connects US hotels with healthcare and government agencies in need. The campaign launched on March 24, and as of April 5, over 15,000 hotels have signed up for the initiative.
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