Delhi to transform 25 luxury hotels into Covid-19 care centres

Key Take Away

Staff at luxury hotels in Delhi are to start welcoming guests not with traditional garlands but with a medical gown. Amid growing concerns that there are not enough hospital beds to cope with the rising number of cases, the Delhi government has become the first in the country to requisition its hotels. Each hotel will be linked with the nearest COVID-19 hospital.

Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has predicted that the capital needs 150,000 beds by the end of July when cases are estimated to rise to half a million

Hotel owners and management, already reeling from huge losses, are privately fuming, particularly as they were not consulted by the government on the decision to turn their facilities into hospitals or the 5,000 rupees (£53) per night tariff, inclusive of all meals, that has been fixed by the government.

For More Information Click Below :

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/22/delhi-to-transform-25-luxury-hotels-into-covid-19-care-centres

Ganga Ram hospital seeks more time to convert Taj Mansingh hotel into COVID-19 facility

Key Take Away

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has sought more time to convert the five-star Taj Mansingh Hotel into a coronavirus facility in order to increase the number of beds for patients in Delhi amid a spike in infections. It will take another 10 days for Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) to set up the COVID-19 facility at the hotel

The hospital is facing a staff crunch and will have to accommodate its staff for the COVID-19 facilities at the two hotels.

For More Information Click Below :

www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2020/jun/21/ganga-ram-hospital-seeks-more-time-to-convert-taj-mansingh-hotel-into-covid-19-facility-2159549.html

Centara Hotels & Resorts makes food donation to the Thai Government’s Public Relations Department

Key Take Away

Thailand's leading hotel operator recently donated 1,500 food boxes to the Thai Government's Public Relations Department

When a consumer buys a Centara cash voucher for a future escape, Centara will add a further 50% value to the purchase.

For more information:

www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4098708.html

Mumbai: Horrific accident on Marine Drive; 18-year-old son of hotelier killed, friend hurt

 An 18-year-old son of a hotelier was killed and his friend suffered serious injuries when their speeding car collided with a stationary bus at Marine Drive in South Mumbai. The incident took place at 4:30 pm on Tuesday.

The mishap occurred on SN Road near BD Somani Chowk, nearly 100 metres before the Marine Drive flyover as the car was en route to Chowpatty. There is no clarity on why the teenagers had gone to Marine Drive during the lockdown.

Aryaman Nagpal, the son of Rajesh Nagpal (part-owner of Taj Group of Hotels), was rushed to Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre where he succumbed to his injuries. Shouryasingh Sharad Jain is undergoing treatment at the Harikishandas Hospital. As per The Times of India, Jain was behind the wheel.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group extraordinary effort

An extraordinary gesture for extraordinary heroes. Our team at Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech has been busily sewing masks to distribute to local hospital workers. Thank you to our community heroes; thank you to our MO heroes.

Youth walks over 1600 km to reach Kashi from Mumbai

Ashok Keshari works at a hotel in Nagpada area of Mumbai. With his hotel shut in view of lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic, he decided to head towards his home in Varanasi on March 30.He walked over 1600 km for almost 14 days to reach Varanasi from Mumbai on Sunday night.

“I walked along the rail tracks on roads and remained hungry for most of the time. On way, some generous people gave food that helped me survive,” said Ashok, who reached Cantt station, Varanasi

He then walked to district hospital where doctors cleared him of coronavirus symptoms and he said the doctors advised him to stay in home quarantine for 14 days as a precaution.

A resident of Saptsagar Dawa Mandi area in Varanasi, he was, however, allowed entry into his house after he underwent screening at the government hospital and was found asymptomatic for coronavirus.

How a Luxury Hotel on Billionaires’ Row Became a Dorm for Hospital Workers

Just a few weeks ago, it was typical for personal assistants to make reservations for thousand-dollar rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel New York for their high-profile bosses.

Remnants of the hotel’s luxurious past — the Art Deco-inspired entrance, the onyx ceiling in the main lobby, the oversize soaking tubs in the suites — are extravagant extras now that the five-star property has been converted into something akin to a military barracks.

The Four Seasons, just like nearby Central Park and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, is yet another New York City landmark being retrofitted to fight the pandemic.

Although other hotels in the city are helping with hospital bed overflow, the Four Seasons has dedicated itself exclusively to keeping doctors, nurses and other medical professionals well rested and safe

At the entrance, two nurses, wearing N95 masks, take the temperatures of all guests, asking questions about symptoms over the past 72 hours and if they’ve washed their hands. Once inside, guests go straight to their rooms; there is no bar or restaurant. Elevators carry one passenger at a time; others must wait on taped Xs on the floor, placed six feet apart.

Of the hotel’s 368 rooms, only 225 will have guests to limit crowding on the property.

Guests and hotel staff no longer interact. For check-in, keys are placed in envelopes on a table

Dirty items are collected only after guests, who stay for a minimum of seven days, check out and the room has been fumigated

Accor pledges to pay for employee Covid-19 medical bills

The group said that more than half of its Accor-branded hotels worldwide are currently closed, with this figure likely to rise to two thirds in the coming weeks.

Accor said that the deteriorating situation had led it to take “aggressive, incremental actions”, including a travel ban, hiring freeze, reduced schedules and /or furloughing for 75 per cent of global head office teams for the second quarter of this year, resulting in a reduction in costs of at least €60m for the year

Recurring investment plans have also been reviewed, reducing costs by another €60m, and other costs including sales, marketing and IT have been streamlined.

Board members will forego 20 per cent of their fees, and the group’s chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin will take a 25 per cent pay cut, with the cash equivalent being contributed to the fund.

The group said that its “recent asset-light transformation and cash preservation strategy” meant it had a strong balance sheet, with over €2.5 billion in cash on hand and an undrawn revolving credit facility of €1.2 billion, and it stressed that while it expected “a severe impact” on its 2020 performance, it remained bullish on the long-term perspective of the hospitality industry.

Accor pledged to pay Covid-19 related hospital expenses for all of its 300,000 employees who do not have social security or medical insurance

Accor launches day-room bookings across 10 hotels in Bangkok for use as private offices

Accor is offering a day-use room package across 10 hotels in Bangkok to guests who need a private office space for the day.

Bangkokians who are desperately looking for a spacious hideaway to get their job done or who need a quiet place to focus on an important project can now book a room for up to 8 hours between 8:00am-8:00pm in 10 hotels.

Participating hotels are located all over Bangkok to enable local residents to select a private office location that is close to their homes:

• GRAND MERCURE ASOKE RESIDENCE

• GRAND MERCURE BANGKOK FORTUNE

• PULLMAN BANGKOK KING POWER

• PULLMAN BANGKOK SUKHUMVIT

• VIE HOTEL BANGKOK MGALLERY

• IBIS Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit Phra Khanong

• IBIS STYLES BANGKOK SUKHUMVIT 50

• NOVOTEL BANGKOK ON SIAM SQUARE

• NOVOTEL BANGKOK SUKHUMVIT 20

• MERCURE BANGKOK SUKHUMVIT 11

   Accor recommends that all travellers review guidance from the World Health Organization and follow any travel advice issued by the Thai authorities.

  Last week, Accor announced the launch of the 'ALL Heartist Fund', a COVID-19 special purpose vehicle dedicated to supporting employees and partners globally. This fund will typically assist the Group's 300,000 employees, pledging to pay for their COVID-19-related hospital expenses, for those who do not have social security or medical insurance, as well as furloughed employees suffering great financial distress.

  The fund will also seek to support individual partners facing financial difficulty and assist in the deployment of solidarity initiatives to support front-line healthcare professionals and non-profit organisations.

Nevada Extends Casino Coronavirus-Related Closures Until April 30

Las Vegas casinos will be closed at least another month due to coronavirus fears, but the dormant resorts and convention halls are getting alternatively used for healthcare services.

The new order keeps the state’s hospitality industry and most other businesses shuttered in line with national social distancing guidelines that President Donald Trump decided over the weekend to extend until April 30 to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Sisolak said activating the National Guard will speed up and make logistical planning and delivery of medical supplies more efficient, as well as provide additional resources for the state’s labor force. It also makes Nevada eligible for additional federal funding.

At least 31 people have died of the coronavirus in Nevada, and more than 1,000 people in the state have been diagnosed with the COVID-19.

Officials said up to 1,000 beds could be provided at about 12 Las Vegas-area hotels, motels, convention halls, surgical centers and warehouses to shelter recuperating coronavirus patients who don’t need hospitalization. Clark County Commission Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick said more sites were sought.

The facilities are in addition to a 40-bed temporary hospital being built next to the Southern Nevada Health District office and a 350-bed tent complex under construction next to Cashman Center for homeless people who need isolation but not hospitalization.