The American Hotel & Lodging Association wants to help fight COVID-19.
The group recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden’s new administration and his transition team – including the Centers for Disease Control, Operation Warp Speed, and the U.S. Mayors’ Conference, among others.
The Jan. 14 letter sent to Jeffrey Zients, the Biden administration’s interim director, offers hotel real estate as possible locations for vaccine administration across the country.
“America’s hotels stand ready to work with America’s governors as states push ahead with the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine,” it said. “By rapidly mobilizing an existing network of locations, hotels can help improve the delivery and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in communities across the country to better streamline and build on current government efforts.”
It should be noted that “getting the vaccine to the public will be a major undertaking that will require innovative solutions and collaboration”.
“To support sales, the hospitality industry is demanding that hotels be considered as an option for vaccine administration sites in collaboration with health authorities,” it said.
It should be noted that hotels already have “the infrastructure and operational capabilities in place to serve as vaccine administration sites and the capacity to support them”.
It is said he has more than 20,000 hotels that can be “quickly read” to serve as locations for the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
“The hospitality industry stands ready to step in at a time of national hardship and support our community and ease the current pressures on our health systems,” it said.
It found that its capabilities include geographic reach; available capacity of the rooms and 24/7 operation; Cleanliness protocols; Infrastructure, including parking lots, and are often located near freeways, highways, and refrigeration equipment.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our industry has been at the forefront of supporting national public health and safety priorities,” it said. “AHLA launched the Hospitality for Hope initiative in early 2020, which identified more than 20,000 hotels ready to provide temporary emergency accommodation for health professionals during the COVID-19 public health crisis. As an industry, we have always stepped up to help our neighbors and communities in a time of need, including early on in the pandemic through Hospitality for Hope. “
The letter was signed by Chip Rogers, President and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
