How hotels play an integral role in natural disaster relief - mic.com
Cities transform during natural disasters. When the infrastructure of daily life comes apart, ordinary citizens jump into action. Hotels, with their power generators, plentiful beds, kitchens and large conference rooms, often morph into valuable community centers. Take a look at Houston, where Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday. A pregnant woman began contractions in a conference room and NPR journalists broadcast a live radio show in a hotel room. During Harvey, plenty of other unconventional activities have occurred in hotels, which were more than willing to provide resources. For people forced to evacuate their homes, many hotels are offering discounted rates, and Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has suspended state and local occupancy taxes in order to keep costs down. (The state’s hotel occupancy tax is typically 6%.)
