A medical staff member takes temperature for a woman at a hotel arranged as a quarantine center for people returning from overseas countrie (Photo by Wei Liang/China News Service via Getty Images)
The hospitality business has taken a beating from the coronavirus pandemic, but some hotels are hoping to drum up business from people who need or just want to quarantine themselves.
The Dorsett chain of hotels, for example, is selling two-week or 27-day quarantine packages at nine locations, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hong Kong is now requiring anyone coming from abroad to quarantine for 14 days.
The Dorsett Wanchai in Hong Kong has set aside several floors for quarantined guests, whose rooms will be disinfected weekly. The “Premier Room” package at the Dorsett Wanchai runs about $89 per night.
Guests must have their temperatures checked twice daily to see if they’re exhibiting symptoms of the virus, which include fever. They can order meals through online food delivery services or through the hotel’s concierge.
Some of Hong Kong’s high-end hotels are offering similar packages — the Park Lane Hong Kong has a 14-day package that runs for $2,525 and includes three meals a day.
In Singapore, some hotels are offering reduced rates to people who need to quarantine. The Fairmont Singapore has a two-week package with a daily rate of about half the hotel’s usual rate.
In New York City, the city government is in talks with the industry to convert hotels into temporary hospitals for patients with the virus. Details are scarce, but most New York hotels could use any business they can get — many were already struggling to make debt payments. [WSJ] – Dennis Lynch