Accent Inns Responds to Urgent Needs of Healthcare Works

Accent Inns responds to the needs of healthcare workers, from nurses to first responders and pharmacy employees.

With hotels shutting down across Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Victoria-based Accent Inns has made the decision to stay open to provide safe and affordable accommodation to nurses, seniors’ homes staff and other frontline workers — offering them special rates for safe and comfortable accommodation.

“The idea to offer these rates came about because of call our General Manager of Accent Inns Victoria, Maureen Kelly-Matyczuk, received from a RN at a local Hospital,” says Accent Inns president and CEO Mandy Farmer.

“She was desperate and was on the verge of tears on the phone. She told Maureen that some nurses were sleeping in their cars so that they don’t take the virus home to their elder parents or children and many nurse are working long days with only a short time between their next shift. They needed a safe place to get some real rest between shifts and keep their families safe. The nurse had called a few other hotels and they were not accepting reservations because they were closing their doors. We acted quickly and created the Healthcare Offer sheet and got it out to as many Healthcare professionals as we could.”

The idea to offer these rates came about because of a call the general manager of Accent Inns Victoria received from a Registered Nurse who said she was desperate and was on the verge of tears on the phone. She told the GM that some nurses were sleeping in their cars so they don’t take the virus home to their elder parents or children, and that many nurses were working 14-hour days with only a short time between their next shift. They needed a safe place to get some real rest between shifts and keep their families safe.

The nurse said she had called a few other hotels and they were not accepting reservations because they were closing their doors.

Accent Inns acted quickly and created special healthcare rates. The hotel’s with exterior corridors, which allow guests to go directly from their cars to their room, makes the hotel idea for self-isolating. As well, the hotel has no central air conditioning. Extra attention is paid to cleaning and disinfecting.

Accent Inns is accepting non-isolating guests, but these guests are sheltered separate wings of the hotels.

“It makes me very happy to think we are making a positive difference in this fight,” says Farmer, “and supporting those who are the heroes on the frontlines.”

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