Push for government to foot repair bill for trashed quarantine hotel rooms

Australia’s accommodation industry is calling for compensation after hotel rooms were trashed during hotel quarantine.

President of the Accommodation Association, Leanne Harwood, says hotels didn’t agree to host quarantining travellers for the money, they did it to “do the right thing”.

She says hotels made little profit from quarantined travellers, and they’re now facing extensive repairs.

“We’re talking replacement of carpets, we’re talking repainting of walls, we’re talking in some instances having to redo bathrooms because of chips and wear and tear,” Ms Harwood told Dee Dee.

“There’s a substantial amount of money that’s going to have to be invested back into those rooms to get them back up to a level that our guests would expect.”

Ms Harwood says she doesn’t believe the damage done to hotel rooms was done in malice.

“Let’s be honest – hotel rooms were designed for shorter stays … they certainly weren’t designed for people to be kept in a confined space for 24 hours a day,” she said.

“Let’s just say that people have certainly utilised every available inch in those rooms.”

The Accommodation Association wants the federal government to provide compensation to help with the cost of repairs.

“We’re reaching out and we’re asking for our government … to do the right thing and support those hotels,” Ms Harwood said.

Press PLAY below to hear the Accommodation Association’s argument for compensation