Nearly 400 vaccinated staff will get a free night at the Cordis Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Nearly 400 vaccinated staff will get a free night at the Cordis Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Staff at Cordis Auckland have been offered a complimentary stay in the hotel in return for getting vaccinated.
"With tourism and hospitality among the worst-affected industries in the pandemic, we want to contribute to the country's overall vaccination rate to ensure lockdowns become a thing of the past," the hotel's managing director Franz Mascarenhas said.
It would also reassure guests when they return to stay to know the numerous steps the hotel has taken to keep them safe and comfortable during their stay.
The offer is available to 377 permanent employees and the incentive has received an enthusiastic response.
"Our team work tirelessly to create magical, memorable moments for our guests, giving them a five-star service experience, so we wanted to offer them a token of our gratitude for getting vaccinated," he said.
Over the past two years the Covid-19 pandemic has caused havoc across the globe. Lockdowns here have not allowed businesses to operate for extended periods of time.
"It has now become quite apparent that the most significant way this can be prevented is through vaccination," Mascarenhas said.
Cordis employees who are vaccinated will receive a complimentary night in the hotel with a guest, as soon as alert levels allow.
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Additionally, during the stay they will receive a 50 per cent discount across the hotel's food and beverage venues.
"We at Cordis Auckland look forward to level 3 restrictions easing and the borders reopening. Vaccinations are an integral step forward for life returning to a new normal, and we are excited to welcome back domestic and overseas travellers to the hotel, giving them a memorable stay in Tāmaki Makaurau," Mascarenhas said.
Room prices for early next month start at $319.
The hotel will soon be the biggest in the country, with the opening of the 17-storey Pinnacle Tower.
The hotel hasn't participated in the MIQ programme and like others has been badly hit by lockdowns.
Leo Bancale at the Cordis Auckland's Our Land is Alive bar. Photo / Supplied
Soon after the latest lockdown started, the Hotel Council Aotearoa said they had lost up to $1.5 billion in revenue during the past 18 months and called for a Government rescue package.
Auckland hotels have lost about $500m and are now being hit hard again by the prolonged level 4 and 3 lockdown after August's border failure in the city.
The council is pleading with the Government to introduce targeted measures to support the sector, crucial to rebuilding international tourism when borders reopen to international visitors. And one hotel expert says the international recovery could be four years or more away and could be even more painful in Auckland as it coincides with thousands of new rooms coming on stream.
