Over 150 hotels in Mississippi have joined the “Hospitality for Hope” initiative.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) says more than 15,000 hotels across the nation have signed up for “Hospitality for Hope”, which identifies hotel properties that have offered to provide temporary housing for emergency and healthcare workers as the COVID-19 public health crisis grows.  While the program will primarily focus on housing for the healthcare community, some hotels could potentially be used as “Alternative Care Sites” such as an emergency hospital or place for those quarantined to stay if needed.

AHLA’s “Hospitality for Hope Initiative” was created to boost collaboration between the hotel industry and local, state and federal governments to help employees, communities across the country, and the industry during this unprecedented health crisis. In the short time since the initiative was announced, participation has grown from nearly 6,000 hotels to more than 15,000 properties. Already, this initiative has identified a total combined of 2.3 million rooms located in close proximity to established healthcare facilities.

To help match and streamline the process for willing hotel properties to connect with federal, state, and local governments, AHLA and its state association partners are working to create a national “Hospitality for Hope” database to assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local emergency management and public health agencies.

Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO said, “It has been so impressive to see hotel after hotel join this important initiative as a way of giving back to the communities in which they operate. As an industry of people taking care of people, the hotel industry is uniquely positioned to support our communities by caring for the first responders who are on the frontlines of this public health crisis. Hotels have always been an active member of our local communities, and this time is no different. We are proud to work to facilitate partnerships with federal, state and local governments to support the health community during this critical time.”

Local, state and federal government officials will be able to search willing properties based on geographic location. (Click here for a state by state breakdown of the number of hotels signed up).

Hotels interested in joining AHLA’s “Hospitality for Hope” initiative can volunteer HERE.

Given the unprecedented public health and economic crisis, hotels and the industry as a whole are coming together to support the community and their furloughed employees.

In expanding “Hospitality for Hope Initiative”, the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation, AHLA’s charitable giving arm, rolled out free resources last week to help industry employees continue their education during this difficult time,  including free hospitality management online courses, professional development scholarships for AHLA certifications and continuing education online programs.

Learn more about additional training and education efforts through AHLA’s “Hospitality for Hope” by visiting: AHLA.com/ahlas-hospitality-hope-initiative