Hotel introduces isolation rooms in response to coronavirus outbreak
• Special rooms will cost about 40% of normal daily rate
The Capital Hotels and Apartments group has introduced sanitised isolation rooms at a fraction of normal daily hotel rates in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced precautionary measures designed to flatten the infection curve of the virus. These include people practising self-isolation if they feel sick and limiting large gatherings to 100 people. The government also introduced travel bans from high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, Spain and the US.
On Tuesday, Capital Hotels and Apartments CEO and founder Marc Wachsberger launched “sanitised sanctuaries” and self-isolation hotel rooms to help manage an impending health crisis.
“I went to eat at a fancy restaurant last week. When I asked if I could wash my hands in their kitchen I found their hygiene procedures were severely lacking compared with what I had seen at our hotels.
“I realised they had no health protocols in their kitchen at all. The best place to eat would be at the hotels my company owns,” said Wachsberger.
“This inspired me to step in and provide a service for South Africans as we try to manage the coronavirus pandemic.”
Sanitised sanctuaries are safe zones for people who feel they need to isolate themselves from others who could infect them. These rooms have a safe apartment hotel environment where their entire supply chain, including food, has been secured.
“These properties are 100% sanitised, supplied, protected and health-inspected apartment hotel environments where guests can rest assured of their health and safety during the country’s expanded measures to contain the Covid-19 virus outbreak,” Wachsberger said.
Capital Hotels and Apartments owns 11 hotels across SA and the sanctuaries are located at 10 of those. It has two self-isolation offerings at the Capital Melrose in Johannesburg and the Capital Menlyn Maine in Pretoria. Its clients will be able to self-quarantine for 14 days or until they have been cleared of the virus.
The isolation products will be rolled out to other hotels if they are successful. Capital Hotels and Apartments charges about 40% of the normal daily rate of each hotel room.
Wachsberger said occupancy at Capital’s hotels have dropped from about 80% on average at the start of the year to 50% and to below 20% at certain hotels.