- The luxurious Fownes Hotel in Worcester, England decided to keep their doors open amids pandemic.
- Their hotel intended to house homeless people totally for free.
- They have accommodated more than 45 rough sleepers and there were no COVID-19 cases reported thus far.
Hotel management and staffers were hailed as heroes and received praise after they decided to stay open and house homeless people amidst the outbreaks of COVID-19 pandemic.
In a very touching display of gratitude, the guests who were allowed to stay for free, started to do odd-jobs in order to pay back to the hotel. They began doing the gardening, the cleaning of rooms, adding bricks to the walls and patios, and many others.
Since the month of March when the lockdowns started, the Fownes Hotel, a luxurious hotel in Worcester, England, have opened its doors to over 45 rough sleepers.
The hotel has 60 rooms and normally charges £155 per night, but had opted to provide accommodation for free while in the middle of the health crisis.
Eddie Boult, one of the guests who was once a bricklayer, said he started doing the brick wall and the patio because he was bored and he also wanted to thank the hotel in his own way.
Peter Swinbourne, 48-year-old, has been without a home for 25 years now, and he said that the kindness of the hotel staff “saved” him.
“I have never slept in a double bed before,” he said. “I’m happy here—this is a five-star hotel putting up homeless people.”
Another guest, Terence Marriott, 55-year-old said: “I have been well looked after. It has been excellent. The food is also excellent. “I feel a lot healthier than when I came in.”
The hotel partnered with a homeless charity organization that provides workshops for the rough sleepers about better self management, and how to secure their own homes in the future.
“Our new guests have been lovely and grateful for the support they have been given and treat their rooms with respect,” the assistant manager Julie Merrick said. “We stayed open simply because we wanted to help.”
“We’re the only hotel in Worcester doing this. Everybody else closed their doors,” she said. “My staff are very brave. They have gone above their job role, absolutely. It has brought us all closer together as a team.
So far there were no COVID-19 cases reported in the hotel and they always follow the safety protocols.
Source: Good News Network
