New York City’s Fitzpatrick Hotel Group has teamed up with Irish company LetsGetChecked to launch a direct Covid testing system for guests amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
When making their reservations, guests will be emailed a link to the LetsGetChecked company app, so they can purchase an at-home test kit for €129.
Test results are issued via the app 24-72 hours later. Those results include all the required travel documentation when testing is negative.
Quarantine rules
Quarantine rules in New York State have been reduced from 14 days to three days if people can produce a negative test 72 hours before travel.
Irish hotelier John Fitzpatrick told BreakingNews.ie: “It's hard enough having to get tickets and organise flights, but if you have to go to a health centre three days before it's another thing for the list."
Peter Foley, founder and CEO of LetsGetChecked said: "LetsGetChecked is pleased to have partnered with Fitzpatrick Hotels to provide guests with access to our FDA EUA-authorized at-home Covid-19 test."
It's funny we're an Irish hotel in New York, and we're using all Irish products
Mr Fitzpatrick's hotels were also among the first to introduce temperature monitoring and electrostatic cleaning devices to protect the health and safety of their guests. They teamed up with another Irish company, AudioTek, for this.
“It's funny we're an Irish hotel in New York, and we're using all Irish products. You just put your face near the screen and it gives you your temperature, that came from AudioTek in Dublin, and we bought them for both hotels.
Protocols
“We have all the protocols set up for people to do their three-day quarantine. If they want their rooms cleaned they're moved to another room, there's all sort of protocols.
“When they get here we have the test kits in reception and guests are tested again.”
He feels testing before travel is much more efficient.
“We'd rather someone is tested before they travel, from our employees' point of view it's much safer for them to come with a negative test already done. From a hotelier's point of view it's best to protect all our guests and our staff.
“Customers get their negative test before coming, they have their temperature screened at the door, and then they go to front desk, and we give them a welcome kit.
“It's a sealed bag with a little pouch and inside that is a face mask, gloves and sanitiser. There's even a cover for the remote control in your room, even though every room has been thoroughly sanitised. There's a mat beside the door with slippers. We've reduced the room count of each housekeeper, one who cleaned 14 rooms a day is now down to 10 because we want to make sure it's done thoroughly enough.
Life returning
“There is life around the place again, but it's building slowly. When I went to Ireland during the summer I had to go to the doctor for a test before, quarantine on the other end and get tested again.
“This test kit is brilliant and if you're not sure how to do it, you can call the company and they'll FaceTime you."
While testing centres are readily available in New York, Mr Fitzpatrick explained that LetsGetChecked can help guests who may not have any available nearby.
“People may have to travel 20 miles in some places. You click the link with this and it's in your house the next day. At least you have the peace of mind getting on a plane knowing you're negative.”
Vaccine
Mr Fitzpatrick is positive about the future of travel with a vaccine on the horizon and the development of new testing facilities like the ones provided by LetsGetChecked.
US president-elect Joe Biden has already made his commitment to tackling the pandemic clear and Mr Fitzpatrick said this will be a boost for people too.
“It feels like a cloud has been lifted, we felt the president [Trump] was in denial. The lack of responsibility for having all these gatherings and rallies with people not wearing masks.
“The administration left it up to each state, the red states were opening up early trying to please the president so you had problems in Florida, California and in all the hotspots because they opened up too early.
“We admired the approach in Ireland, the Government is taking action and getting it under control.
“Here there was politics being played. Biden will take the whole country together, come up with a national task force, and they'll do what they're doing in Ireland. Listen to the medical expertise and act on it.
“That's why we're all relieved, it's not a Republican or Democrat issue, the country is just happy that someone is recognising that there is a problem, and we have to sort it out. The whole country is excited about it.”
