Hilton, Marriott, and American Express have officially announced that they will give free hotel rooms to frontline medical professionals working to fight the Covid-19 pandemic until the end of May.
"They are truly heroes," said Christopher J. Nassetta, Hilton's president and CEO. "We are honored to extend our hospitality to these heroes during this difficult time."
Marriott is also donating $10 million in hotel stays to doctors and nurses, primarily in the New York and Newark, New Jersey; New Orleans; Detroit; Los Angeles; Las Vegas and Washington. Marriott is also donating customer rewards points to organizations that help people and communities affected by Covid-19, including: World Central Kitchen, UNICEF, American Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
A series of Marriott hotels posted smiley faces to encourage people to fight Covid
About 80% of hotel rooms in the United States are currently vacant. Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the Hotel and Lodging Association, added that the Covid-19 pandemic could force half of all hotels in the United States to close.
Not only in the US, the French people also showed solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Accordingly, many initiatives to support doctors and nurses such as: giving alcohol, free rides or accommodation, even composing the French song "Ghen Co Vy".
Specifically, the Strasbourg library donated 250 FFP2 masks to frontline medical staff, which are used by librarians to preserve old books and archives. The library also called on other libraries across France to donate masks on social media. In Strasbourg, 50 drivers from Taxi 13 volunteered to provide free transportation for medical staff at the Nouvel Hôpital Civil and the emergency department of the Hautepierre hospital.
Hand sanitizer is becoming scarce, but in the small village of Hohwarth in the Bas-Rhin department, the Meyer family distillery has offered to donate 1,300 liters of 96-proof alcohol, which is used to make liqueurs. Many in the Alsace region have offered to rent furnished apartments to frontline health workers at low prices. There are more than 40 such apartments in Strasbourg alone.
