News
Ryan Giggs says helping NHS workers by making hotels available 'the right thing to do'
Ryan Giggs insists making the two hotels he part-owns with former Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville available free of charge to NHS workers is the "right thing to do".
Hotel Football, located near Old Trafford, and The Stock Exchange in the city centre are owned by the pair through their GG Hospitality group.
Chelsea announced last week that the Millennium Hotel at Stamford Bridge will be used by NHS staff assisting with the coronavirus outbreak and Giggs and Neville quickly followed suit.
"We took the steps of closing the hotels at a pretty early stage," Giggs told Sky Sports News. "The priority was the health of both the guests and our staff.
"Then we looked at the economic aspect of our businesses, making sure our staff get paid, but moving on from that we knew about the shortage of rooms for NHS staff.
"My mum was an auxiliary nurse for 25 years at Manchester Children's Hospital so she has still got friends there and she gave us a heads up pretty early on that there would be a shortage of rooms for people to stay in so we took the measures of offering rooms in both our hotels for medical staff and NHS staff to use for free.
"The reaction has been good. It is the right thing to. At the moment we have got 20 NHS staff staying at one hotel and 15 at the other. We expect in a week, both of those hotels to be full. That is around 170 rooms.
"Of course, everything that comes with that, making sure we are safeguarding our staff with regards to the virus and also the NHS staff. We expect them to be with us for about 10 days. In that time, they have got a place, after working the massive hours that they do, to come and relax and get ready for work the next day."
Giggs should be busy preparing for Euro 2020 after successfully leading Wales to qualification in his first campaign as manager.
However, UEFA's decision last week to postpone the tournament until the summer of 2021 means he will have to wait, but he has no problem with that.
"UEFA made 100 per cent the right decision postponing the Euros," Giggs said.
"For international managers it is always a difficult time after the November games because you don't see the players until March. Obviously, that is even going to be longer now but that comes second to everyone's health and well-being and making sure everyone is healthy.
"Then we can get back to the business of football and sport in general which gives so many people a rest from everyday life. We just hope it comes sooner rather than later but first of all let's get rid of this virus and get on with our normal lives again."
Copyright 2002-2020. RyanGiggs.cc. All rights reserved.
Web Design and Powered by Steven Tan.
visitors since 26-02-2002.
Web Design and Powered by Steven Tan.
