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The Pandemic caused by the Covid19, has overtake both the Spanish Health System and the  capacity to house and supply the ill, Health workers and other population groups. Hotels had to close their doors at the beginning of this crisis but, far from doing nothing, they stood up to help under these extraordinary circumstances. Organized in different associations, they have altruistically help those who need it.

Do you want to learn more about the solidarity actions taken by the Spanish hotels against the coronavirus? here you have some of their initiatives

1.- HOSPITALIZED HOTELS AND LODGING HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

 At the early stages of the crisis, the health centers and hospital facilities got a bed shortage for accommodating coronavirus patients. The transformation of some hotels into hospitals allowed the mildest patients to be transferred there, thus freeing up necessary beds in hospitals. Hotel Companies like Ayre or Room Mate have converted into a hospital their entire hotels. In Madrid alone, there are already more than 40 medicalized hotels with around 9,000 beds available to accommodate patients with moderate symptoms.

Other hotels were opened to lodge exclusively medical staff that either were transferred to Madrid or needed accommodation far from their homes to avoid putting their family at risk. As an example, AC Hotel Ciudad de Móstoles or Crowne Plaza Airport in Madrid. These hotels have made every effort to make doctors feel at home, even under these extraordinary circumstances.

2.- IMPROVISED SUPPLIERS OF MATERIAL FREE OF CHARGE

One of the main problems of this Public Health Crisis has been the shortage of protection and hygiene material for medical staff. Hotels helped tackle this problem from the start by giving away their beds and bath amenities, from disposable slippers to shower caps. In the first days of public confinement, the Hotel Gran Bilbao donated caps and slippers for the hospitals in Bilbao city; the Novotel Madrid Center gave away 9,000 units to distribute between two hospitals in Madrid; ApartoSuites Jardines de Sabatini, 1,000 shower caps for the Madrid Maternity Hospital Gregorio Marañon, Sleep´n Atocha donated their beds to Alcala Hospital. Many more items like cleaning sets, shampoo, gel, toothbrushes, paper tissues and all kinds of materials were provided to patients thanks to donations from all different hotels from all over spain like Mayorazgo or Crowne Plaza Airport .

Improvised Solidarity in its purest form!

3.- CONTRIBUTING TO KEEP THE SPIRIT HIGH

Not only the safefy and hygiene measures are important into wining the fight against this virus, but also keeping the people spirit high up. In Spain all the people confined in their homes spontaneously started clapping every day at 8 pm to cheer up and thank the health orkers for their difficult task having to face the cruelest side of the coronavirus every day. Now it has become a habit and also the Policemen and military forces participate by using their vehiculs sirens

Some hotels have contributed with beautiful initiatives like that of the Hotel Gran Bilbao or the Bali Hotel in Benalmadena by turning on at 8 pm the lights of some rooms with the shape of a large heart. Also remarkable is the gesture of the Corisco Hotel in Tossa de Mar, which gave away 30 kilos of ice cream to the Local Police in gratitude for the music they play every day from its patrol cars to cheer up the community.

4.- FREE FOOD SUPPLIERS

One of the biggest movements made by the hotel sector is to supply food to hospitals and people without resources. Much of this aid has been coordinated by the new Association TURISMO SOLIDARIO 2020, which encompasses more than 30 different organizations such as Gastronomía Solidaria, AEDH, ACYRE, Hosteltur, TecnoHotel and even the Tourism Area of Madrid City Council. Most of the food supplied by Spanish hotels have been distributed to feed amongst others truck drivers in Mercamadrid or homeless in different spanish cities.

Hotels like Mac Puertomarina in Benalmádena, Madrid’s Pax Torrelodones and Corisco, in Tossa de Mar, have delivered hundreds of kilos of food directly to Caritas. In Seville, the Murillo hotel delivers its products to the Food Bank of this city.

5.- SAFE ACCOMMODATION FOR ESSENCIAL SERVICES WORKERS IN NEED OF LODGEMENT

The declared closure of all the hotels in Spain left certain population groups without accommodation in the first days; among them, airline crews, hotel residents, diplomats, security forces and bodies, essential service workers (such as funeral workers) coming from other provinces, etc. In Madrid, the Tourism Authorities selected a number of hotels that could still be open providing accommodation for these groups. ApartoSuites Jardines de Sabatini was one of them all together with 12 other hotels in Madrid functioning as emergency hotels to provide lodging to these people.  The common denominator of this establishments? they could ensure the safety and health of their house guest during the crisis. Rooms equipped with kitchen and everything necessary for insulation, maximum hygiene measures and security protocols for an absolutely safe stay.