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Recently, Hilton, Marriott, and American Express officially announced that they will be offering free hotel rooms to frontline healthcare workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic until the end of May.
Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman and CEO of Hilton, said: "They truly are heroes. We are honored to extend our hospitality to these heroes during this challenging time."
In addition, Marriott donated $10 million from hotel stays to doctors and nurses, primarily in New York and Newark, New Jersey; New Orleans; Detroit; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; and Washington. Marriott also implemented a program to donate customer reward points to organizations providing relief to people and communities affected by Covid-19, including: World Central Kitchen, UNICEF, the American Red Cross, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
A number of Marriott hotels are displaying smiley faces to encourage people to fight against Covid.
Currently, about 80% of hotel rooms across the United States are 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 US to close.
Not only in the US, but also in France, people have shown solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many initiatives have been implemented to support doctors and nurses, such as donating alcohol, offering free rides or accommodation, and even composing a French-style song called "Ghen Cô Vy" (Jealousy of Covid).
Specifically, the Strasbourg Library donated 250 FFP2 masks, which librarians typically use for preserving old books and archives, to frontline medical staff. The library also appealed on social media for donations from other libraries across France. Meanwhile, in Strasbourg, 50 drivers from Taxi 13 volunteered to provide free rides to medical staff at the Nouvel Hôpital Civil Hospital and the emergency department of the Hautepierre Hospital.
While hand sanitizer is becoming scarce, in the small village of Hohwarth in the Bas-Rhin province, the Meyer family's distillery has offered to donate 1,300 liters of 96% alcohol, commonly used in liqueur production. Many people in the Alsace region have offered to rent fully furnished apartments at low prices to frontline medical staff. In Strasbourg alone, more than 40 such apartments have been offered.
