A Shropshire hotel has come up with an ideal solution to help fill some its rooms now empty due to the Coronavirus crisis – and at the same time help people who find it very hard to work from home.
The Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall Hotel & Spa, like many other hotels nationwide, has been hit hard by the impact of the current pandemic, with conferences being cancelled and guests opting to stay at home and maintain some social distancing rather than go to a hotel.
At the same time, while the Government is advising as many people as possible to work from home, for some this is not feasible, and will be even harder next week when the schools close.
But the hotel has a solution, which will enable people to work in a good degree of isolation but without the many distractions there might be at home.
Lynn Hood, Chief Operating Officer of Focus Hotels, which manages Albrighton Hall, said: “We are offering our empty rooms as home office space for people who find their own homes too distracting or who simply wish to work in isolation.
“We can offer people a private room with work desk, between 8.30am and 5pm.
“They can enjoy the comfort of their own ensuite bathroom, the use of a large TV screen, using their own HDMI cable, free high-speed wi-fi, free tea, coffee, biscuits and free car parking.
“In addition, we are offering free use of the hotel’s spa facilities for one person with any booking for a room to use as an office away from the usual workplace.
“The rooms cost £8 per hour, or £50 for eight hours.
“People can also choose to have food from the hotel menu safely delivered to their rooms, for an additional charge.
“Like many businesses, our income has been severely reduced as a result of the Coronavirus crisis, so we are looking at ways of keeping some money coming in while our usual type of business is not practicable, and at the same time provide a service for people who, for many reasons, will find it very difficult to work effectively from home.
“We are, naturally, closely monitoring updates from the World Health Organization and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and following the guidance of the government and public health officials around the use of our spa.
“We are reinforcing all recommendations on the appropriate health and safety measures within our own hotel teams. The safety and welfare of our guests and staff are our highest priority.”
