But today the lobby is clear of all guests and furniture, except for a single table with a bottle of hand sanitizer, a box of face masks, and a sign that reads, “Coughing and sneezing spread disease.”
Behind the empty check-in counter, a four-foot machine buzzes with the phrase “Virus killer”.
The hotel’s manager, Alex Palaghiu, said the transition from a four-star hotel to an improvised medical facility was motivated by the need to help the country’s ailing National Health Service (NHS).
“We are very proud to be a part of this, so it is a very good feeling to be a part of something,” he said. “I think everyone should come together to support the NHS and save lives.”
This is the first hotel in the UK to participate in the plan, but if successful it could be a model for converting more of the hospitality industry’s guest rooms, many of which lie vacant amid the country’s foreclosure .
Hospital beds are precious commodities
The NHS is currently facing an unprecedented crisis with more coronavirus patients in the hospital than at any point during the pandemic. A new, more contagious variant of Covid-19, which officials say is out of control, has led to record-breaking infection rates.
And Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the country’s intensive care units (ICUs) are at significant risk of being overwhelmed by the disease, which has infected more than 3.2 million people and killed 84,000 people.
Hospital beds are now one of the most precious commodities in the country, but so far only three patients are recovering on the first floor of the otherwise empty hotel.
Hoteliers say they want health officials to send hundreds of Covid-19 patients their way.
“The hospitality industry is virtually closed, so we are all ready to open our doors and make sick people better as soon as possible,” explains Meher Nawab, CEO of the London Hotel Group, of which Best Western is a part.
There are no medical staff at the Croydon hotel to support the patients, all of whom are in the final days of their isolation period and require minimal care.
“Myself and my staff, we are confident that everything will run smoothly and that we have created a safe environment for our staff and also for these early discharge patients,” explains Palaghiu.
Contactless meal delivery takes place three times a day and the phones are manned 24/7 in case of an emergency.
The staff took video training from the NHS, improved their hygiene practices and installed air filtration systems throughout the building.
“The feeling is that we are not afraid,” Palaghiu said when asked if he and his staff were reluctant to accept Covid patients.
“We are well trained and the cleaning standard is higher than ever. So we have confidence in it.”
The four-star hotel is just around the corner from a major hospital and the staff here say they are desperate to find a respite from the overwhelmed doctors and nurses.
According to a study conducted in summer 2020 by Kings College London, nearly half of IC staff in the UK showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some of the respondents had thoughts of harming themselves, while others had turned to alcohol abuse.
The bosses of this hotel brand say they are in daily contact with the NHS leadership and hope their guest rooms will fill up in the coming days.
“We have more than 5,000 hotel rooms available through Best Western. A number of other (hotel) brands have approached us and we were able to open 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 hotel rooms within weeks to help the NHS,” said Nawab.
As the number of cases in the UK increases, health officials will soon be able to take up that offer.