Hospital Rooms to Hotel Rooms: NYC’s COVID-19 Response

When COVID-19 first hit the United States in January 2020, the rapid surge of cases quickly overwhelmed health care resources, particularly in hard-hit areas like New York City (NYC). Facing an urgent shortage of hospital beds and isolation rooms, New York City converted vacant hotels into temporary quarantine and recovery centers. This move provided crucial support to overwhelmed hospitals during peak times, helping to alleviate pressure on their capacity.

As tourism came to a standstill, unused hotels were transformed into critical infrastructure. Hotels served as quarantine sites, providing an immediate solution for the need to isolate recent patients. In a literature review, Megan Krentsa and her colleagues highlighted the effectiveness of NYC’s COVID-19 hotel program. The hotel space allowed people to recover in comfortable surroundings, close to home and opened hospital beds for sicker patients.

The figure above shows the number of new COVID-19 cases in NYC between February and May 2020, corresponding to the timeline of the New York hotel program’s opening. Initially, the response involved strict quarantines; hotels played a crucial role by offering safe isolation for individuals with mild or moderate symptoms, as well as those recovering from hospital stays. As cases surged, the strategy adapted, and hotels were repurposed to house health care workers during the peak of the crisis. When cases began to decline, hotels remained a vital part of the city’s response, providing housing for the unhoused.

As the COVID-19 hotel program progressed, it became more efficient, with city agencies working closely together to improve its impact. Early challenges, such as staffing shortages, were tackled by creating a central team that introduced clear guidelines for infection control, inventory management, and staffing. This approach helped the program grow and adapt effectively.

The NYC COVID-19 hotel initiative offers valuable lessons for future public health crises, highlighting the power of flexibility, collaboration, and planning. As Krentsa and team’s research shows, the strategies developed during the program can serve as a blueprint for faster, more effective responses in similar emergencies.