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Hotels roll out welcome mat to first responders
By Anne Marie Tobin | April 15, 2020
Several local hotels are rolling out the welcome mat to first responders, helping police officers, firefighters and EMTs find peace of mind and a safe place to rest.
The hotels are partnering with local fire and police departments to reserve blocks of rooms at reduced rates for first responders who feel the need to be in isolation.
In Lynn, Fire Captain and Public Information Officer Joe Zukas said his department has an arrangement in place with the Residence Inn by Marriott in Danvers.
“We’ve been lucky that so far we haven’t needed it and I think that’s because we are taking a proactive approach on calls,” Zukas said. “We screen the 911 calls to know if it might be COVID and ask again before we enter to limit the amount of contact if possible. So far, we have had zero positives, and with 182 on staff, that’s pretty good.”
Lynn Police Lieutenant Mike Kmiec said, so far, nothing is in place for the police department.
In Peabody, Holiday Inn & Suites, Extended Stay America, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Hilton-owned Hampton Inn have set aside rooms.
“We have people who aren’t necessarily quarantining themselves, as much as people who don’t want to expose their families,” said Peabody Fire Chief Joseph Daly. “Both our departments are healthy and so far nobody has felt it necessary to take advantage of it.”
Daly said Hilton took an added step of moving all of its Hampton guests to Homewood so that Hampton can be reserved for those who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or are showing symptoms.
Daly initiated discussions directly with the hotels two weeks ago. It took less than one hour to get the system in place.
“It’s hard to get the green light at the state level, so we reached out locally,” Daly said. “It’s another example of everything falling back to the local level where you can get things done more efficiently.”
Lynnfield joined forces with Melrose and Wakefield in negotiating an arrangement with the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Wakefield, which is part of Marriott International’s Community Caregiver Program.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said all three communities have first responders who are recovering at the hotel.
“The hotel has shown great compassion and we are getting incredibly low rates,” said Dolan. “The level of service has been tremendous.”
MarketStreet restaurants still open are providing two meals a day on a rotating basis to those in quarantine.
Dolan said the town will be reimbursed by the state for 70 percent of the cost. A $3,000 donation from Unicare will also be used to help offset expenses.
Lynnfield Fire Chief Glenn Davis said the arrangement is especially important because the department operates its own in-house ambulance service, putting EMTs at a heightened risk.
“We have had more face-to-face encounters with people who may be infected or have been in contact with someone who is infected,” Davis said. “Having a place where they can go to be in isolation to reduce the dangers to their own families is important.”
Those employees who have been quarantined are anxious to get back to work.
“They have the same determination they have always had as firefighters,” Davis said. “Everyone is doing their jobs willingly.”
Saugus Interim Police Chief Ronald Giorgetti said the town got great responses from Saugus hotels, including Courtyard by Marriott and SpringHill Suites by Marriott, whose general managers reached out to area chiefs.
“Contingency plans are in place, so the service is ready to go, if needed,” said Giorgetti. “It puts families’ minds at ease. We have people who may be asymptomatic but might have been exposed. We have people who have travel issues. We haven’t had anybody use the service yet, but knowing there is a place where they can go is a huge relief.”
Nationwide, Hilton, in partnership with American Express, has established a program to donate the use of up to one million rooms from April13 through the end of May at no charge for doctors, nurses, EMTs and other front line medical staff.