Boston Hotels Open During Coronavirus Crisis Forced To Make Drastic Changes
BOSTON (CBS) - The travel industry is being hit hard by the coronavirus as hotels everywhere are closing. But a few in Boston are staying open through the outbreak and trying to keep guests and staff safe.
The Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill is still open but they've been forced to make some dramatic changes.
"I have front desk staff wearing masks. That normally doesn't happen," general manager Tom Chmura told WBZ-TV. "You know the busiest part of your day is taking cancellations."
The limited staff at the Wyndham spends most of the day cleaning, scrubbing down windows and doors.
"We're really trying to maintain a clean and sanitized space as much as we can," Chmura said.
"It's been very challenging on the staff. We've laid off a significant number of people, furloughed last week. The managers are working from home where possible."
Dan Donahue is the president of Saunders Hotel Group. He says the Lenox Boutique Hotel, which is typically running at full capacity, is nearly empty.
"We have five rooms in the house tonight. It is what it is," he told WBZ. "I literally mopped the floor this morning, ran the sweeper, swept the front part."
The restaurants inside these hotels are also temporarily closed. For safety they're not allowing any guest to use rooms that were recently occupied.
"As guests are departing, we are actually leaving those rooms vacant for a day or two as part of the CDC's guidelines," Chmura said.
The Wyndam Hotel, which is near several hospitals, is offering discounted rates to all medical personal dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.
"Anything we can do to assists the hospitals, assist the health care providers. My wife's an R.N. Anything that has to be done, we're willing to do," Chmura said.
It's a new normal that hopefully won't last.
"We are a family owned business," Donahue said. "We're in the fourth generation and I miss our employees and I miss our team."
