Hotels offering COVID-19 tests as part of amenity packages

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Hotels looking for a shot in the arm amid the coronavirus pandemic are adding COVID-19 tests to their list of amenities for guests eager to receive quick negative results on site, according to a report.

The tests, which are mostly at the guest’s expense, are usually offered in partnership with local labs or medical companies, according to NBC News.

"If universities, basketball teams and other large organizations can offer rapid testing, hotels should be able to provide this as well," Robert Rauch, CEO and chairman of San Diego-based hotel management firm RAR Hospitality, told the network.

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Beth Whitman, a frequent flier from the Seattle area, gave a thumbs-up to the trend.

"I would definitely participate in a COVID testing program if it meant that I could travel and do so in a manner that was also safe for the destination — even if I had to pay for the service," Whitman told NBC News.

Some hotels are starting to offer coronavirus test kits to their list of amenities. (iStock)

But some people expressed reservations about mingling with guests who were awaiting test results.

"I think it’s a fine idea if the testing is … to have documentation for access to an airplane," Big Apple resident Francine Cohen told the outlet. "But if the intent is to arrive on property and get a test to see if it’s safe to stay, then no."

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Among the properties jumping on the bandwagon is the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas, where the Reviv wellness spa offers a test with results promised within 24 hours, according to NBC News.

It also offers antibody tests, with discounts for guests who bundle their tests with certain spa treatments.

In Hollywood, the Chateau Marmont Hotel, Cottages and Bungalows provides free tests, with results available in 24 hours, as part of its amenities.

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At the posh Nobu Hotel Palo Alto in California, guests can request a private test administered by a medical professional in full protective gear, according to the report.

And at Sofitel hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick airports in London, guests can take a self-administered saliva test that is rushed to a lab that delivers results in time for their next-day flights.

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Bruce Rosenberg, chief operating officer at the HotelPlanner booking site, told NBC News that hotels that impose testing requirements — or proof of vaccinations — may have a marketing edge.

"It might boost consumer confidence and ease the guest’s mind knowing that everyone who stays at that hotel has either the vaccine or a negative test result," he said.

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