Taipei City Government

As the outbreak deteriorates in Europe and the US, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has continued to expand the list of Level 3 Warning countries, resulting in a spike in the demand for quarantine hotels recently and leading to insufficient rooms. Furthermore, European and American business travelers’ hotel requirements are different from that of ordinary tourists, hence there is an increasing demand for quarantine hotels. After 2 weeks of training, Taipei City Government has helped to open a new quarantine hotel, Hanns House, providing roughly 100 comfortable rooms for tourists subjected to the mandatory 14-day home quarantine.

Since opening on February 21, quarantine hotels in Taipei City have offered accommodation to nearly 80 tourists who have to undergo quarantine but do not have a place to stay in Taiwan. Some schools in Europe and the US have suspended classes or are now providing online classes, so a large number of overseas Taiwanese students have returned home, and coupled with business travelers from all over the world, conventional hotels are not adequately equipped to accommodate tourists with quarantine needs.

To solve the accommodation problem of tourists requiring quarantine and minimizing loopholes in outbreak prevention efforts, Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism (TPEDOIT), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environmental Protection, and the Police Department have collaborated to launch a new quarantine hotel, Hanns House, providing 100 rooms to accommodate tourists needing to be quarantined. In addition, the city government has already opened 2 quarantine hotels with a combined capacity of 78 rooms. The Hanns House’s software and facilities have undergone multiple inspections by the TPEDOIT and DOH, and the hotel staff has received the necessary education and training to comply with the SOP and regulations of quarantine hotels. Besides large rooms with a floor space of at least 30m2, Hanns House’s rooms are also equipped with facilities such as kitchen counter, microwave oven, and high-performance Wi-Fi that are designed for long-term guests. In addition to catering to the needs of business travelers, guests staying at the Hanns House will also feel right at home.

According to Glorystone Inc. (parent company of Hanns House) Chairman Ma Wei-Hsin, the hotel features independent DC air conditioning on every floor and in every room, therefore the guests can arrive at the hotel’s basement parking lot, check in and head directly for their independent rooms for absolute discretion. Apart from implementing the reception SOP stipulated in the hotel outbreak prevention manual, all 100 quarantine rooms in the hotel are furnished in wooden and tile floors instead of carpets to comply with quarantine hotel regulations. Ma commented that Hanns House is located on prime real estate in Xinyi District, and it commenced a soft opening towards the end of last year, targeting high-end business travelers. Since the hotel’s facilities are consistent with quarantine hotel standards, and fulfilling corporate social responsibility is an integral part of the hotel’s management philosophy, Hanns House therefore decided to offer the government its full support and look after citizens by joining the ranks of quarantine hotels.

Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-Shan mentioned that as the outbreak worsens, Taipei City has prepared in advance to become the first municipality in the country to establish a comprehensive quarantine hotel system. Taipei City Government respects Hanns House’s decision to reveal its status as a quarantine hotel, and the TPEDOIT has requested that all quarantine hotels comply with the hotel outbreak prevention manual’s regulations on reception SOP, catering service, waste disposal, disinfection, and the provision of amenities. The quarantine hotel staff must also receive additional training on outbreak prevention measures and promote the concept of outbreak prevention daily. The stipulated SOPs must be implemented on all facilities and services to provide the travelers under quarantine with a safe, peaceful accommodation environment.

As for the quarantine hotels’ capacity, Huang explained that all 78 rooms in both quarantine hotels are almost fully booked, and travelers have also made reservations at the newly opened Hanns House. The city government will continue to review and bolster the service capacity of the quarantine hotels.