On Tuesday, Kejriwal said that the city had a total of 6,731 Covid-19 beds, of which 4,100 were vacant. (File image)

The hotel industry on Tuesday urged Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to reconsider their May 29 order in which 5-star hotels, including Crowne Plaza and Sheraton, were asked to be converted into Covid-19 treatment hospitals in partnership with private hospitals.

Delhi is one of the most impacted states in India with a high number of Covid-19 positive cases. As on June 1, it had a total of 20,834 cases, including 8,746 recoveries and 523 deaths. The number of active cases in the 24 hours (May 31-June 1) stood at 990. On Tuesday, Kejriwal said that the city had a total of 6,731 Covid-19 beds, of which 4,100 were vacant.

Industry association Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) said it has urged the Delhi government to reconsider its order.
“We have made a representation to the Delhi chief minister and deputy chief minister to reconsider the order making hotels as extension of hospitals,” HRANI Secretary General Renu Thapliyal told FE.

HRANI is the north Indian arm of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), the apex industry body.

“Hotels are not equipped in terms of infrastructure to open such establishments. Also we do not have the trained manpower to handle such cases. Besides, hotels are grappling with lack of staff due to shut down of operations. Another major issue is that this could have a negative impact on the future business prospects of hotels. The hospitality industry has been supporting the government with respect to quarantine activities and providing food, etc,” Thapliyal said.
FE reached out to Crowne Plaza and Sheraton hotels, which did not offer any comments.

Experts in hospital administration said that getting hotels would be a huge challenge. “For instance, inside our Covid wards we maintain negative pressure. This is done by taking special provisions to regulate air flow within the wards to ensure that the virus exhaled by the diseased is limited to that room. Besides, training hotel housekeeping staff would be a huge challenge. There’s also a danger that the hotel staff might take back the infection to the community and vice versa,” said a senior official at a top hospital in the city.

Hotel industry sources said that converting a luxury hotel into a Cvoid-19 hospital would “seriously jeopardise” its future business opportunities as people would not want to stay in the said hotel.

Delhi had directed five hospitals to take over five luxury hotels and convert them into Covid-19 hospitals. Medical services in these hospitals would be provided by the attached private hospital.

The five hospitals are Batra hospital, Indraprastha Apollo, BL Kapur Memorial, Sir Ganga Ram and Max Smart Super Speciality. These hospitals would help convert Hotel Sheraton at Saket, Crown Plaza at Okhla Phase-I, Surya at New Friends Colony, Siddharth at Rajendra Place, and Jivitesh at Pusa Road into Covid-19 hospitals.
The hotels shall provide regular services including rooms, housekeeping, disinfection and food for the patients at the price not greater than Rs 5,000 for five-star hotels and Rs 4,000 four/three star hotels per day per person. The linked hospital shall be paid up to Rs 5,000-per patient per day for their medical services.

On Monday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority asked district magistrates to provide information on identified premises and land to it by Wednesday. The DMs have to provide information on indoor air-conditioned locations, particularly large multi-purpose halls, banquet halls and indoor stadiums, for setting up extra beds for Covid-19 patients.