The Four Seasons New York is Offering Its Rooms Free to Medical Workers

Photo credit: Peter Malinowski
Photo credit: Peter Malinowski

From Town & Country

With its prime perch on East 57th Street’s Billionaires' Row and its suites with coveted Central Park views, the I.M. Pei-designed Four Seasons New York has been a midtown classic since it opened in 1993. Now, as of Wednesday morning, it has joined the city's Herculean fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in a major way—Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the hotel would be making its 368 rooms available, free of charge, to the hundreds of medical workers, doctors, and nurses who are working around the clock to treat coronavirus patients.

New York is now the global epicenter of the pandemic, with more than 30,000 confirmed cases—NYC alone has surpassed 17,000 cases—and more than 3,000 patients are hospitalized. Medical workers, doctors, and nurses have been overwhelmed by the influx of patients, all the while dealing with critical shortages of masks, gowns, ventilators, and beds.

Along with their overtime work hours, many healthcare professionals have to deal with long commutes home. Enter the Four Seasons. The midtown location is within close range of several city hospitals, including Mt. Sinai, Weill Cornell, New York Presbyterian, NYU Langone, and Bellevue.

Photo credit: Peter Malinowski
Photo credit: Peter Malinowski

In a statement, Ty Warner, the billionaire Beanie Babies founder and owner of the hotel, said Governor Cuomo's daily briefings inspired him to take action. “Many of those working in New York City have to travel long distances to and from their homes after putting in 18-hour days,” he said in a statement. “They need a place close to work where they can rest and regenerate. I heard Governor Cuomo’s call to action during one of his press conferences, and there was no other option for us but do whatever we could to help.”

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