LA Hotels Volunteer More Than 27,000 Rooms for COVID-19 Response

Unprecedented Action by 270 Hotels Aids County’s Pandemic Health Needs

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 270 Los Angeles hotels have volunteered 27,819 rooms to the 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.

This unprecedented response represents about 35 percent of all Los Angeles hotel rooms now available to protect and isolate population segments vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak. In the past three weeks, available hotel numbers have grown exponentially from an initial 10,000 rooms being available on March 27.

“Every day we’re seeing the number of available rooms increase as hotels respond to the request from public health officials to provide temporary shelter during this pandemic,” said Heather Rozman, Executive Director of the Hotel Association of Los Angeles. “This is definitely not business as usual. Now that the various levels of government are working together, the contracting process to actually get rooms online should be speeding up.”

Throughout California more than 1,100 hotels have volunteered almost 145,000 rooms since Gov. Newsom declared a State of Emergency on March 4. California Hotel and Lodging Association, HALA and their members have worked with a multitude of government departments and agencies to identify hotels that could help municipalities respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“By working closely with Gov. Newsom and California’s public health leadership, our hotels have responded when they are most needed,’’ said Lynn S. Mohrfeld, President and CEO of the California Hotel and Lodging Association. “This is a critical time for our hotels to demonstrate their commitment to their communities and to our state’s well-being.”

Los Angeles hotel rooms provide shelter for COVID-19 isolation, people experiencing homelessness, victims of domestic violence, elderly populations, and medical personnel fulfilling needs that are determined by public health officials.

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.