Los Angeles hotels offer 10,000 rooms as temporary shelter

More than 115 Los Angeles County hotels have volunteered more than 10,000 guestrooms to the County Public Health Department as temporary shelter to support the COVID-19 response. The response represents approximately 15 percent of all Los Angeles hotel rooms.

“Our hotel community response is just one more example of the extraordinary men and women behind the hotel business,’’ Heather Rozman, executive director of the Hotel Association of Los Angeles, said in a statement. “Hospitality is a people business and in a time like this, we’re going to step up and take care of people, it’s what we do best.”

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HALA and member hotels have been working with Mayor Eric Garcetti, city councilmembers, county supervisors and county officials to determine how hotel rooms can best be deployed. Priorities and processes continue to evolve for who would be housed in the hotels and how an individual’s health would be monitored while sheltering in a hotel.

“Our hotel rooms are available now and we know our public officials are working hard to assure the well-being of all Angelenos and individuals who may need temporary shelter,’’ Rozman continued. “Unprecedented challenges require unprecedented action, and our hope is that by opening up thousands of hotel rooms, we can reduce the spread of this virus at a time Los Angeles needs hospitality the most.”