COVID-19 hit Greater China in late January 2020, ahead of the rest of the world, and its unprecedented challenges and far-reaching effects became apparent much soon than in the United States. As medical experts and professionals struggled to contain the virus and treat existing cases, Hilton stepped up to actively support the frontline healthcare workers arriving in response to the outbreak.
When medical teams flew into the epicenter of Wuhan from throughout China to support local hospitals, three Hilton hotels in the Hubei province provided them with clean, comfortable accommodations for the duration of their assignments.
In Hubei, Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley, Hilton Wuhan Riverside, and Hilton Garden Inn Shiyan served as temporary homes for 1,369 medical professionals for nearly two months as they bravely battled the epidemic. A total of 168 Hilton team members at these properties went above and beyond to make sure their guests were well taken care of and came back to clean, safe, relaxing environments after each shift.
Though the lockdown had created manpower challenges for the hotel teams, staff members rose to the occasion, taking on workloads typically shouldered by multiple employees. The Hilton Wuhan Riverside, which typically operates with 170 team members, managed to get by with only 50. Yet, they still managed to make the frontline workers' stays special with personal touches like serving comforting dishes from guests' hometowns and organizing surprise birthday parties.
After these unsung heroes had completed their work and departed, housekeeping staff found that all of the rooms and already been tidied and many guests had left handwritten notes for team members. "Thank you so much for providing a 'home' for us for nearly two months. We felt re-charged here and were well-fed with great food and hometown specialties after coming back from hospitals each day…No matter how late we returned from the hospital, there was always hot food and warm soup waiting for us. You are heroes behind the scene and best representations of true hospitality," read one in particular.
And, when these frontline heroes had completed their work in Wuhan, four other Hilton hotels hosted 1,045 of them in their respective home cities as they self-quarantined following their exposure to COVID-19-positive patients.
Hilton Qiandao Lake Resort hosted 266 medical professionals of the Zhejiang Hangzhou Medical Team for a fifteen-day recuperation period upon their return from Wuhan. The hotel specially organized eight tailor-made activities for these valued guests, including a garden party, beach volleyball, yoga, climbing, fishing, a luxury yacht tour and a grand birthday celebration for ten of the medical professionals.
Other Hilton hotels that received frontline workers also found unique ways to express their gratitude and spirit of hospitality, and afterward received glowing praise from these medical professionals. Hilton Qiandao Lake Resort alone received more than 400 thank-you letters and messages, and these special guests who bonded with the hotel's team members now plan to reunite at the resort once China has fully recovered from COVID-19.
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