As UK hospitals and care facilities are continuing to struggle with capacity due to the current wave of COVID-19, a group of UK hoteliers have been calling for the government and NHS trusts to work with them to accommodate patients in safely adapted hotels.
Register your support here
Jonathan Maxwell, Founder of the Process C-19 initiative, says ‘Process C-19 was established as a not-for-profit organisation during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. It was founded by leaders from hospitality, medicine and infrastructure to work with hotels to help increase capacity in the NHS. We believe that hotels can act as a crucial pressure value for hospitals, serving to help with discharge, rehabilitation and even outpatients’.
As part of this initiative, Best Western CEO Rob Paterson has offered NHS Trusts a solution ‘to provide immediate and enduring help within the context of the very severe shortages of capacity for acute trusts up and down the country caused by the current pandemic.’ This solution offers repurposed hotel sites to provide a clinically-led service including appropriate clinical and care arrangements, cleansing and infection control, patient monitoring, fully compliant PPE, provision of dietary services and food, clinical waste management, medication support and admission and discharge arrangements.
During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Patterson says ‘we established a group including Medical experts and Business Leaders providing Hotel assets, logistics, legal and insurance representation and Medical Staffing solutions. The team has developed solutions that can provide NHS Trusts with additional beds and step-down capacity within hours of commissioning so that scarce resources can be freed up to address the unprecedented patient demand created by the pandemic. Our Hoteliers are already providing self-isolating accommodation units for early discharge patients (Covid positive and non-Covid positive), Homeless, NHS staff and other community needs. The offering can include 3 meals a day and Covid secure transportation if required. Staffing requirements can be fulfilled by our partners via existing frameworks.’
Hospitality company the London Hotel Group was able to deliver the initiative’s first results, having opened the Best Western Plus London Croydon Apart Hotel to accepting Covid+ Clients referred from the NHS and Local Authorities in self-isolation accommodation units. CEO Meher Nawab says ‘We would like to continue supporting the NHS and Local Authorities nationwide and have many hotel owners who would like to support the cause in a similar way.’.
Oxsana Hospitality, a membership organisation within the UK hospitality industry, also supports the initiative: 'Oxsana has 185 hotels across the UK that are ready, willing and able to collaborate and join the fight against the Covid 19 virus' says Chairman Al Malik. 'We sincerely believe hotels can play a huge role during these incredibly challenging times to hel take some of the strain off the NHS and help them to continue to be the most effective and respected health service in the world.' Eching his partners in Process C-19, Malik adds 'We will be forever grateful for the exceptional sacrifices, commitment, and compassion shown by the NHS staff, carers and key workers delivering excellent care and support on the frontline.'
To date this initiative has only received uptake from a handful or NHS trusts, while hospitals and care facilities around the UK are still struggling to meet their patients’ needs. Pressure needs to be put on the Government and the NHS to consider this offer and let the UK hospitality industry support them in the fight against COVID-19.
Questex Hospitality & Travel Group are gathering as many signatories as possible and urge you to lend your voice in support of this initiative at this critical time. Over 40 hoteliers (see below) have already shown their support to the initiative.
Thank you for your solidarity with hospitality.
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Ali Alkateb |
Director |
Kensington Hotels |
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Ali Sadrudin |
Director |
Red Lion TruckStop |
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Al-Karim Nathoo |
Managing Director |
4C Hotel Group |
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Al-munir Malik |
Chairman |
Oxsana hospitality |
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Amin Jamani |
Director |
Bakers Hotel LLP |
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Amin Merali |
Director |
Treats Investments Ltd; London Metro Hotels Ltd |
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Areef Datoo |
Director |
Comfort Inn Edgware Road |
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Azim Kanji |
Partner |
Carlton hotel |
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Brian Keane |
CEO |
Cameron ventures group |
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Daniel wilson |
President |
Entegra |
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Gail Treadwell |
Sales Director |
First Inn Group |
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Hanif Bhimji |
Director |
Kaz Hotels |
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Heidi Lisa Asaria |
Director |
Elysee Hotel Ltd |
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Hussein Sunderji |
Director |
EQ Hotels Ltd |
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Karim Nanji |
Manager |
Vegas Hotel |
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Karim Nasser |
Director |
Red Lions Estate |
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Katherine Doggrell |
Co-founder |
NewDog PR |
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Kishor Majithia |
Director |
Avantis Hotels Ltd |
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Mahmood Badrudin |
Managing Director |
Lancaster Court Hotel |
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Minhaz Manji |
Managing Director |
First Inn Group |
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Mohamed Lalji |
Director |
Primrose Estates Limited |
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Mr Pranay Paw |
Managing Director |
JDP Hotels Ltd |
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N. Kanji |
Manager |
Colliers Hotel |
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Nadeem Boghani |
Vice Chairman |
Splendid Hospitality Group LLP |
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Naela Bhsnji |
Dirrctor |
Parkside Hotels Ltd |
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Nazim Manji |
Chairman |
Clubhouse Hotels |
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Nazmin Kassam |
Partner |
Dover Hotel |
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Neill Stockill |
General Manager |
Prince Hotels Ltd |
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R A Ismail |
Director/Partner |
The Brompton Hotel |
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Shelina Shamji |
Director |
Sunhope Ltd T/A Hotel Lily |
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Shiraz Jivraj |
Director |
Crescent hotel |
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Tasneem Watson |
Director |
Rutland Hotel |
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The Broadway hotel |
Manager |
Wise wave ventures limited |
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Vinayak Girgune |
Area General Manager |
Park Grand hotels |
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Yasmin Shaikh |
PR Manager |
The Montcalm London |
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Zaheed Nizar |
CEO |
Landlet Holdings |
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Zamir Hirji |
Director |
Ashley Hotels |
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Zul Karim |
Director |
Sprigbest Ltd |