HCMC – Many more hotels in HCMC have registered to function as Covid-19 quarantine facilities aimed at maintaining their business operations as a result of the low demand caused by the pandemic, according to the HCMC Tourism Department.
When the coronavirus outbreak broke out in Vietnam, many hotel operators initially did not want to requisition their hotels as quarantine centers, fearing that the disease could be transmitted at their properties and affect their business operations.
The situation, however, has changed a lot now, with the number of hotels signing up as quarantine facilities on the rise, said a representative of the department.
Data from the department showed that the city has seven hotels being used to quarantine foreign experts and investors, with 940 rooms, and five others used to quarantine flight crew members.
Last week, the departments of health and tourism surveyed an additional 20 two- to five-star hotels with 1,300 rooms. These hotels meet the necessary quarantine requirements and are waiting for an approval from the authorities to officially function as quarantine facilities.
Given the impact of the health crisis, the city’s hotel sector reported very low bookings and many hotels were forced to shut down. Meanwhile, hotels previously being requisitioned as quarantine facilities have maintained their operations well and earned a considerable amount of revenue over the past months, encouraging other hotels to join the move.
Accordingly, aside from the 20 surveyed hotels, the city has a host of other hotels available to serve as quarantine facilities, as and when the demand rises.
Currently, many quarantine rooms remain vacant. Of the seven requisitioned hotels for foreign experts and investors, only two properties near Tan Son Nhat International Airport reported a high room occupancy rate of 80-90%.
By Dao Loan
