Former England and Manchester United football player Gary Neville has announced that he is opening both of his Manchester hotels to NHS staff workers for free.
None of the rooms will be available to book for the general public, meaning that a total of 176 beds will be on offer to staff who can't stay at home due to the fact they need to isolate themselves away from their families. Neville has also announced that he won't be making any redundancies or asking staff to take unpaid leave, despite the dire situation that the hospitality industry has found itself in.
Neville said: "It is at this moment in time that I think the whole of our industry needs to show solidarity, not just for our staff in these uncertain times, but obviously for the people who need the accommodation most in the coming months."
"It’s something we’re delighted to have been able to come into an agreement with. It will be free of charge, our staff will operate in the hotels as normal. The health workers will be allowed to stay there without any cost whatsoever in these next few months when they need isolation away from family members who may be affected by what’s going on."
Neville co-owns both Hotel Football, and the Stock Exchange Hotel with former teammate Ryan Giggs among others, having opened the former in 2015, and the latter more recently in late 2019.
This announcement from Neville comes after Chelsea Football Club also revealed yesterday that it would be opening its Millenium Hotel at Stamford Bridge to NHS workers in a move that will provide further beds to the medics of London.
Perhaps even more so than hotels, restaurants are facing an incredibly tough few months given the current situation, so here are some ways you can support London restaurants from home.