Many Baltimore hotels have closed temporarily because of COVID-19’s impact on the travel industry, but some hotels are remaining open to provide lodging for healthcare heroes during this time. We sat down with Ian Harvey, General Manager of the Residence Inn at Johns Hopkins Campus, to talk about the work his team is doing to provide lodging for Johns Hopkins Hospital employees working on the front lines of COVID-19.

As we all know, COVID-19 has presented many challenges for the hospitality industry. While many hotels have had to close their doors, how would you say The Residence Inn at Johns Hopkins is doing?

Well, we are definitely very fortunate. Most Baltimore-area hotels are temporarily closed and have been forced to lay off most of their staff. Although our current situation is not great, our partnership with the Johns Hopkins Hospital and departments allows us to be in a much better situation than most. We are extremely grateful to have that partnership during this challenging time.

Earlier this month,we were on the brink of temporarily shutting down. Because of our partnership with The Johns Hopkins Hospital, we are running weekly occupancies that are more than double and triple that of some of our competitors. Since the COVID-19 impact is expected to worsen over the early days of May, our occupancy is also expected to grow over the same period.

As you mentioned, your operations have been drastically impacted by COVID-19, but what hotel services are currently operational?

Since Mid-March, our management team has been working around the clock to keep the front desk fully functional, along with food, beverage, and housekeeping services operating. Although it may not be their typical position or hours, employees have adapted to working in various departments in order to provide an excellent standard of service. Our restaurant, 16 on the Park, is offering curb side pick-up, contact-less delivery to guest rooms, and will also add Door Dash service starting this month.

We are extremely fortunate to still be able to offer most of our hotel services during this unprecedented time.

Tell us more about your partnership with The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The partnership to provide rooms for their front-line employees formed about a month ago after we were thinking about the possibility of closing our doors to the public. In normal circumstances, we provide rooms and meeting spaces for Johns Hopkins hospital patients and vendors, but we wanted to make our facilities and services available to healthcare workers who are on the front lines of this crisis. We are the most convenient and comfortable place for them to rest after work. We are currently providing over 55 rooms for doctors and nurses, courtesy of the hospital.

Each day, we offer convenient freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all guests. Due to our close proximity to the hospital, they can enjoy a shortwalk to work after enjoying an impressive breakfast spread. Our goal is to make their experience as comfortable as possible. We appreciate all that they are doing during this difficult time and providing excellent hospitality is how we like to show our gratitude.

What is the Residence Inn At Johns Hopkins Campus hospitality experience like outside of COVID-19?

I’ll start by stating that the hospitality service offered to our guests is likely our number one asset. Beginning with the point of arrival, to our tastefully decorated lobby, high ceiling, 20’ tall windows offering natural lighting, overall cleanliness, and comprehensive food & beverage options offered at our 16 On The Park restaurant, our guests have shared with us overwhelming positive feedback.They have sent us letters and detailed comment cards that mentions our employees by name, and specific scenarios that details how the employee(s) exceeded expectations. We celebrate these wonderful success stories daily and in our monthly “Care Rally” where we take time out to thank and recognize our heroes of the industry. Beyond the services we offer, this beautifully appointed facility was specifically designed to provide specialized accessibility and comfort to patients, their families, and the wide variety of visitors that travel to the Johns Hopkins Campus every day of the year.

During normal circumstances outside of the current restrictions due to COVID-19, we typically serve a full hot complimentary breakfast to all guests in our Lobby restaurant from 6:30 am to 9:30 am. A fan favorite is our 16 On The Park restaurant which is open for both lunch and dinner from 11:00 am to 10:30 pm, and has been rumored to serve the best crab cakes in town. 16 on the Park offers a unique rooftop dining experience with an array of cocktails and beautiful views, and completely open to the public.Our Lobby Bar opens at 4:00 pm daily and offers live entertainment, including karaoke every Wednesday, starting at 7:00 pm. Hopefully, we can resume all of these fun activities sometime soon.

In addition to our everyday hospitality offerings, our team makes every effort to stay engaged with charitable organizations in our community on an ongoing basis, so we can identify areas of need where we may be able to offer support. Last month, we were proud to donate meals to first responders and senior citizens in our community.

Our entire staff is looking forward to resuming normal operations and providing an extraordinary experience to the community once we are cleared by the governor to operate without restrictions.

We are conveniently located right in the heart of Downtown Baltimore, steps away from The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins University and Royal Farms Arena.