It's a roll of the dice whether guests in NSW hotel quarantine get million-dollar harbour views or, as claimed this week, dirty bathrooms and cockroaches.
Key points:
- Mandatory hotel quarantine began on March 29, and a $3000 minimum fee introduced last month
- The hotel industry says rooms and services are run by the NSW Government, not the venues
- Travelodge in Surry Hills was last week removed from the quarantine roster after several complaints
More than 50,000 overseas travellers have checked in at dozens of Sydney hotels since March, in the mandatory quarantine program the NSW Government calls its "front line of defence" against COVID-19.
So far, it's caught nearly 10 per cent of the state's confirmed cases: 325 people have tested positive from 52,700 tests.
But it hasn't been without problems.
None of the travellers get to choose which hotels they'll hunker down in.
For some guests, spending 14 days stuck in a hotel room has been a good time in "one's gilded cage on the 18th floor". For others, it's simply been a "nightmare".
The $3,000 minimum fee was introduced on July 18 to ease pressure on the state coffers, which have already forked out at least $65 million.
It covers "accommodation, meals, police, security, health and welfare" — the majority of which are outsourced.
And the industry says it's important for people to know they're paying for quarantine, not a usual hotel stay.
This is how the program works.
It's not a normal hotel stay
It's not mandatory for hotels to take part but most have been happy to put their hand up to help, says Dean Long, the CEO of the Accommodation Association, which covers 80 per cent of Australian properties.
"There's some hotels who don't want to participate, and it's a commercial decision that each hotel takes," he says.
But even when guests land a five-star hotel, they won't be getting a five-star experience.
Whether a hotel usually costs $100 a night or $250 or more, is irrelevant, because travellers are paying for the four walls of quarantine, not a luxury stay, Mr Long says.
"The entire fee does not go to the hotel — a percentage does, but there is absolutely no connection to the standard commercial rate, because effectively they are not staying in the hotel.
"The hotels are simply there as a sign on the building, but the rooms and services are managed by NSW," he says.
Is it a good thing for hotels?
Rates are fixed individually between properties and the NSW Government, and fees go directly to Revenue NSW — not the hotels.
Hotel occupancies are currently about 5 per cent, compared with 89 per cent in pre-COVID times, Mr Long says.
And although the quarantine program has been "useful", it isn't transforming the fortunes of hotels.
"It's been important, but it's not a panacea," according to Mr Long. "We are happy to do it — it's the right thing to be doing, but it's not the saviour."
He says a 50 per cent occupancy recovery could be in place by April or May, but a return to pre COVID-19 standards might not happen until 2023-24.
At present, he expects the quarantine program will run well into next year.
What happens if something goes wrong?
NSW Police said on Saturday it is bringing in new on-the-spot audits to tighten standards and cleanliness.
It follows confirmation that 12 security guards have been taken off duty in Sydney's quarantine hotels for not enforcing standards and the removal of nearly 400 guests at the Travelodge hotel in Surry Hills this week after complaints over cleaning.
The guards were taken off duty for incidents including sleeping on the job and posting videos of "inappropriate conduct" on social media.
Mr Long says the quarantine program has been "overall very positive", but the Travelodge closure this week was problematic because of a lack of "due process".
NSW Police moved 366 people out of the Travelodge Hotel in Surry Hills last Tuesday, after it "did not meet the expectations" of its "high standard of delivery".
Complaints from guests included dirty surfaces, clumps of hair on furniture, mould and food from previous guests found in fridges.
"We've been extremely disappointed with what happened this week in regards to the approach of taking guests out at 12 hours notice. We weren't even advised what the particular issues were with the hotel," he says.
Travelodge has now been struck off the quarantine roster, although the hotel operator has said rooms were cleaned thoroughly and it passed a program audit last month.
Mr Long says the lack of information about evacuating the hotel had caused a "huge level of anxiety".
He says the association raised concerns with the office of NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres, who oversees hotel quarantine, but is yet to receive a response.
"The reality is we don't want this to happen again," Mr Long says.
The Minister's office declined to comment on whether Travelodge guests would be refunded.
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2020-08-29 21:30:00Z
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