Filipino hospitality is alive even in times of crisis as hotel chains and other lodgings open their doors for medical workers manning the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus.
Mid-range hotel chain Zen Rooms was one of the first to reach out to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), one of the designated COVID-19 referral centers, to offer its hotel in Quiapo as lodging for medical frontliners.
The property is located 10 minutes away from the hospital and has accommodated doctors and nurses from the PGH Emergency Department free of charge.
“Zen understands the pressure and stress these medical frontliners feel as they battle against COVID-19. We want to be of service to them by giving them comfortable and safe accommodation where they can rest and recover, or isolate from their families,” said company co-founder Nathan Boublil.
The partnership between Zen and PGH is set to last till the end of April, but, according to the hotel chain, may extend depending on the situation in the coming weeks.
Since the start of the crisis, Zen has been in touch with the government, non-profit organizations, and hospitals to help accommodate frontliners and those in need of temporary rooms across Luzon. Currently, the chain is expanding this initiative to other parts of Metro Manila.
Zen is also collaborating with the Philippine Red Cross for the Red Cross Donation Drive with Zen and GCash. The donation process can be found on Zen’s website, and all funds collected will go directly into the Red Cross GCash e-wallet.
The funds that will be gathered from this donation drive will be allocated for conducting hygiene promotion sessions, providing water and hand washing facilities to hospitals and other areas, providing food and financial support to the less fortunate, and offering psychological aid to those who need it given the current situation.
Furthermore, Zen is also providing free accommodation for Red Cross volunteers who are working to supply food, distribute personal hygiene items, and give medical assistance to communities across Metro Manila.
”We are committed to helping out during this difficult time,” said Boublil.
More information are available on Zen Rooms’ Facebook page.
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Meanwhile, luxe hotel group The Oriental Hotels and Resorts is also hosting free accommodation to working medical frontliners. It has opened its properties in Albay, Leyte, and Bataan.
“We have opened up all our hotels for free to all working medical frontliners. We have to protect them because they are our first line of defense. I hope other hotel owners will follow suit, the sooner we get all our acts together, the earlier this will all end and the sooner we can all go back to normalcy,” said group chairman Wilbert Lee.
Lee added that the hospitality group can also help train other hotels in housing working health personnel and persons needed to be isolated.
Interested parties can call The Oriental Hotels and Resorts at 0917-638-2921.
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Airbnb also joins the cause to provide housing to frontline workers beginning this month.
The global initiative, dubbed Frontline Stays, has been extended in the Philippines in a bid to house healthcare professionals, first responders, and relief workers.
According to the accommodations company, it will partner with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, St. Luke’s Medical Global City, The Medical City, and Makati Medical Center who will help determine “priority areas” with health workers in need of temporary shelter.
“We’ve been inspired by the bayanihan spirit of Filipino hosts and nonprofits who have reached out to us seeking ways to support frontliners,” said Mike Orgill, general manager of Airbnb in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Airbnb’s Frontline Stays has been launched with the support of medical organizations around the world such as the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, Sutter Health in California, the Ministry of Housing in France, and Barcelona Official Doctors Association.
Prior to the Philippine launch, it was first made available in Thailand, Malaysia, and New Zealand.
Hosts can join by signing up on the Aribnb website. Hosts are required to follow a cleaning checklist to ensure their and their guests’ safety. Airbnb is temporarily waiving fees for stays.
Frontline workers signing up for the free lodging are required to provide information such as job and accommodation needed.