NEW ORLEANS — Here’s another example of a business pivoting to meet a need during the coronavirus pandemic: On Wednesday, city and state leaders were finishing plans to convert the Hilton Garden Inn in the Central Business District into a temporary shelter for some of the city’s homeless population.
The plan is to move people from encampments to the 155-room hotel, where they will stay for the next 30 days. Federal, state, local and philanthropic funds will support the project.
“We have transitioned our hotel into an intake facility,” Hilton Garden Inn general manager Adam Turni told WWL-TV. “We have painter’s tape to designate six-feet indicators so everybody can keep proper spacing. We’re only allowing one individual to use our elevator at a time. We’re only allowing so many persons on each floor at a time.”
According to WWL, the hotel plans to serve the guests three meals a day, clean their rooms daily and provide laundry service. The National Guard will deliver equipment and other supplies and police would help with security in every floor and at all exits to make sure the homeless guests remain isolated the whole time.
