Holiday booking company offering coronavirus quarantine hotel packages has met the ire of locals

A holiday company offering coronavirus quarantine packages in major Gold Coast highrise resorts has outraged locals

A HOLIDAY booking company is offering coronavirus quarantine packages in major Gold Coast highrise resorts, outraging residents who say it is putting their lives at risk.

Surfers Paradise-based Holiday Holiday, which handles unit bookings for buildings including Chevron Renaissance, Circle on Cavill and Hilton Residences, is offering the ‘self-quarantine accommodation’ packages from $85 a night to travellers, health care and emergency service workers.

The move has angered residents in one building, where a woman with suspected coronavirus was taken away by ambulance last week.

“It’s putting all of us at risk,” one resident said.

“It might be putting money into the pockets of some unit owners but what’s our life worth?”

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Holiday Holiday is promoting the COVID-19 packages on its website, offering services including ‘enhanced cleaning and disinfecting’, grocery shopping and amenities ‘including toilet paper’.

The company says all self-isolation guests will be contacted prior to arrival ‘to prepare for movement during throughout the public areas of the resort during your stay’.

“We will have rooms ready for you, depending on the time of arrival to minimise your contact with the public,” the website reads.

“If you do not experience any symptoms during your stay, we wish you all the best as you proceed on to your next journey,” the Holiday Holiday website reads.

“For guests who do experience symptoms, we are able to extend your stay.”

Surfers Paradise-based Holiday Holiday, which handles unit bookings for buildings including Chevron Renaissance, is offering ‘self-quarantine accommodation’ packages to travellers, health care and emergency service workers. Picture: Mike Batterham

A body corporate executive at one resort in which Holiday Holiday is offering the isolation packages said many resident owners were outraged.

“Holiday Holiday is saying they are providing the packages to protect families but what about our families?” the executive said.

“We have guests in supposed self-isolation in these buildings roaming wherever they want and potentially infecting others.”

The body corporate executive said concerns were raised with Queensland Health several days ago but nothing has been done.

Letters have now been sent to all unit owners and letting agents warning that apartments rented for self-isolation had to be registered with Queensland Health and protocols put in place to monitor guests.

A Holiday Holiday spokesman declined to comment.

On its website, Holiday Holiday said the ‘significantly discounted’ packages would help fill vacancies, keep guests safe, thank medical and emergency services personnel and provide continuous employment for resort workers ‘in the face of COVID-19 uncertainties’.

Some hotels, including the Voco in Surfers Paradise, have been officially designated as quarantine accommodation for returning overseas travellers and are being guarded by soldiers and police.