The US hospitality industry, like the UK’s and many others has been seen not only to be one of the worst hit industries in the world, but also one of the fastest to respond with actions that demonstrate true empathy.
Across New York hotels have responded to their Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio who both called for assistance through enabling the use of vacant rooms to aid those most impacted by and on the front lines of combating Covid -19.
Hotels rooms are now temporarily homes for New York’s homeless, their medical workers and in part serve as makeshift hospitals as the city’s existing ones have run out of space. New York is the epicentre of Covid -19 in the US, and hospitality is at the epicentre in helping.
Amongst the helpers are many of the city’s most acclaimed residences including icons like the Plaza Hotel and St. Regis. One very notable absence from the list however, as reported in Vanity Fair, is the Trump International Hotel & Tower.
You might expect that the US President, even if he lacks empathy, would see the current situation as one to show leadership in, by opening his New York hotel as an example to others, not so far.
Vanity Fair also somewhat alarmingly reports that Trump’s New York, Chicago, and D.C. hotels remain open.
Trump’s lack of charity is only surpassed in this instance by his lack of business nous.