New York hotels become barracks for health workers ‘going to war’

tourists and conventioneers who once filled rooms of New Yorker hotel are long gone, driven away by coronavirus, but its lobby is still bustling.

big, art-deco hotel in midtown Manhattan is one of several across U.S. that have become barracks for an army of health care workers deployed to fight COVID-19.

“You come home, get your dinner, take a shower, get to sleep and n do it all over again next day,” said physician assistant Shoe Daniels, through his mask, in a ballroom converted into an intake area, where shoe sanitizing stations are a must-stop before guests he to elevators.

Honesdale, Pennsylvania, resident likened his workday to “going to war.”

More than 15,000 of nation’s 56,000 hotels and motels are w offering rooms for emergency and health care workers, according to Chip Rogers, president of American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Some health care workers have snagged free rooms at Sophy Hyde Park hotel in Chicago or luxurious Four Seasons Hotel New York.

Ors, like Daniels, are being put up by staffing ncies hired to quickly bring reinforcements to overwhelmed hospitals.

At ar time, hotels packed with out-of-town workers on a shared mission might have been buzzing like a college dorm, with nurses or doctors sharing drinks at bar after shifts or heing out to a Broway show.

But several healthcare workers staying at New Yorker told Associated Press that y are too exhausted after 12-hour workdays to do much more than shower, eat, exercise, re and sleep. Shuttered bars, restaurants and businesses limit options.

Zuri Longoria, a nurse from Aransas Pass, Texas, said she relieves stress from tending to dying patients by chatting with or medical volunteers like herself.

“You can’t share that of bond with anybody else,” Longoria said.

In hotel’s ballroom, sanitizing materials rest on a table and prayer cards and handwritten well wishes from community hang from a bulletin board. “Thank you for helping ors in ir time of need!” res one.

Öne te ackwledged how inequate words, prayers and small contributions seemed for workers. “It’s t a lot and way less than you guys deserve! Please be safe!” it said.

Nathan Shapiro-Shellaby, a nurse anestist from Seattle, said he runs outdoors and meditates before boarding a shuttle bus for work at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, which has been ground zero for crisis.

After work, he’s sharpening his Facetime and Zoom skills to maintain relationships.

“That’s been one of my favorite things to do to kind of release stress and hear about family and friends from all around world,” Shapiro-Shellaby said.

Daniels said immediately after a shift he sanitizes his shoes, wipes down anything he carries with Clorox wipes and drops his clothing in a laundry bag at his room.

“n I jump right in shower. My bedroom is like COVID-free, as much as it can be,” Daniels said.

Daniels, Longoria and Shapiro-Shellaby were recruited to New York by Krucial Staffing, which vertised that three-week stints for 400 nurses starting in mid-April would pay $10,000 per week.

Two weeks ago, Mariott hotel chain anunced it would provide $10 million of free “Rooms for Responders” in New York City, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Newark, New Jersey. In less than two days, 6,200 nights in rooms h been booked, with 53% of m in New York area and 34% in Los Angeles.

Hilton and American Express also teamed up to donate up to 1 million hotel room nights nationwide.

Rogers estimates that half of hotels in country are closed due to coronavirus pandemic. And most of rest are operating with skeletal staffs.

Hotel authorities say most hotels still up and running are housing workers, while some have offered for hospital operations or to provide rooms for homeless or quarantined individuals.

“It’s a win, win, win,” said Kim Sabow, president of Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association. She said 300 Arizona hotels h volunteered to house medical workers. “This is just a wonderful way in which hotels can keep ir doors open and give back at this horrific time of crisis.”

Some hotels volunteered after California’s goverr threatened to use powers of state to take over hotels.

“Hotels were rightfully concerned. At same time, we h alrey heard hotels saying: ‘Look, if this starts getting worse, y can use our hotel if y need to,’” Rogers recalled.

Michael Jacobson, president of Illiis Hotel & Lodging Association, said Chicago and state officials asked hotels in early March to identify locations that could be used.

Some offered free rooms; ors at cost. Tight security ensures body breaks social distancing rules. Rar than housecleaning, linens and towels are left outside rooms, along with meals.

“Hotels aren’t making a profit out of this. It is allowing m to at least maintain some basic operations and frankly, keep at least a portion of ir staff employed,” Jacobson said. “I knew folks would step up, re’s question about it, but I also knew that every hotel owner I kw of is hurting right w, and hurting b.”