What
TravelStore, a travel management company headquartered in Los Angeles, is arranging hotel accommodations for frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic as the contracted travel management partner for the state of California. The program, which was announced by California governor Gavin Newsom, provides doctors, nurses and other critical workers access to no-cost or low-cost hotel rooms.
Why It Matters
In a time when travel has mostly come to a standstill, TravelStore has found a creative way to keep its staff working and provide an important service to the heroic men and women who put themselves at risk for others. This program prioritizes health care workers who come in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, or who test positive for the virus but do not require hospitalization. By providing hotel rooms near medical facilities, health care workers can avoid potentially spreading the virus after leaving their shift. This initiative is a great example of how travel advisors can use their expertise to help others during this crisis.
Fast Facts
- TravelStore reports that in the first eight days of the program, the agency booked over 32,000 room nights. More than 200 hotels are participating in the program.
- While the travel industry has mostly come to a standstill, TravelStore had made the decision not to layoff or furlough any of their workforce due to the pandemic. Having transitioned all employees to home-based offices in mid-March, TravelStore has been fully staffed and is now operating extended hours to manage the increased call volume.
- Headquartered in Los Angeles with several branch locations throughout California, employee-owned TravelStore is rated among the top travel companies in the nation by Business Travel News and Travel Weekly, and has earned the “Top Business Travel Management Company in Los Angeles” rating by the Los Angeles Business Journal. (Note: Business Travel News and Travel Weekly are owned by the same parent company as TravelAge West.)
What They Are Saying
“Governor Newsom’s emergency initiative has been embraced by our employees,” said Osvaldo Ramos, CEO of TravelStore. “As Californians we are eager to help and support our health care workers, not to mention to be more productive during these challenging times.”
“We are very thankful for the opportunity to assist our health care professionals,” said Trudy Flores, senior vice president, Northern California operations at TravelStore. “Medical professionals are routinely working 12- to 24-hour shifts and making long commutes to and from home where they risk spreading the virus to family members.”
The Details
TravelStore
www.caltravelstore.com
