Unprecedented 300 Hotels, 30,000 Rooms Aid LA COVID-19 Response

LOS ANGELES, May 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 300 Los Angeles hotels have volunteered more than 30,000 rooms to the LA County Department of Public Health and other agencies as temporary shelter to support the region's COVID-19 response, the Hotel Association of Los Angeles announced today.

About 4,000 rooms are under contract, including more than 400 rooms at a large downtown hotel, to protect and isolate population segments vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak. An additional 2,500 rooms are working through the contracting process as the County ensures proper staffing of trained personnel, indemnification for properties and insurance and liability coverage.

 "LA hotels have stepped up across the board in unprecedented ways to support our LA community during this crisis," said Heather Rozman, Executive Director of the Hotel Association of Los Angeles. "As various levels of government and supporting agencies are finally working together, the contracting process to get rooms online and vulnerable people houses is speeding up."

Although the available 30,000 rooms are well above the County's request for 15,000 rooms, HALA continues to call upon the local hotel community to respond to this health crisis despite the hardships hotels and their employees face as the tourism economy has been hard hit. An estimated 15,000 LA hotel employees are without work and at least 157 hotels have suspended operations since the pandemic outbreak. It's important that hotels can reopen when it is safe so LA's No. 1 industry can bring employees back to work, host worldwide visitors and provide much needed tax dollars for critical city services.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure the well-being of the LA community now while preparing for a recovery that provides so many economic benefits for our city," Rozman said.

About the Hotel Association of Los Angeles
The Hotel Association of Los Angeles has advocated for the Los Angeles lodging industry for more than 70 years through legislative support, coalition building, lobbying and public advocacy. Its members represent a cross-section of the lodging industry, including owners, managers, suppliers and vendors.

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SOURCE Hotel Association of Los Angeles