Hotels including the Millennium Hotel at Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge stadium, plus the two Manchester hotels owned by footballing greats, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs have joined the medical response to the coronavirus pandemic by giving over their accommodation to NHS staff working nearby.
Earlier this week, Gary Neville took to social media to announce that both Hotel Football and the Stock Exchange Hotel had been in consultation with the health services in Greater Manchester and will offer all 176 beds for NHS and other medical staff from today.
The former Manchester United captain said none of his staff will be made redundant or asked to take unpaid leave.
“Our staff will operate the hotel as normal when health workers are allowed to stay there without any cost whatsoever when they need isolation away from family members who might be affected,” explained Neville. “It is at this moment in time that the whole of our industry needs to show solidarity, not just for our staff in these uncertain times, but for the people who need the accommodation most in the coming months.”
Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich is also covering the cost of providing West London accommodation for local NHS staff at his ground's Millennium Hotel. This will be for an initial two-month period before being reviewed.
“It was decided the best way Chelsea can assist the NHS is to provide accommodation for NHS staff,” the club says on its website. “Many of the medical staff will be working long shifts and may not be able to travel home or would otherwise have to make long commutes. Local accommodation helps maintain the health and well-being of these crucial personnel at this critical time.”
North West London Clinical Commissioning Group told the BBC: “We’d very much welcome similar offers of support from other hotels. This really does help us keep services running at a time when the NHS is likely to be under enormous pressure.”
By Mike Fletcher