Coronavirus Gold Coast: Life in quarantine in Voco hotel

For 14 days, this is home for more than 20 travellers. They cannot interact, or leave their rooms without supervision. This is what life is like in the Gold Coast’s quarantine hotel.

Kirstin Payne

3 min read

April 10, 2020 - 5:24PM

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CUT OFF from the outside world, unable to venture out for fresh air without supervision – more than twenty travellers have now spent a week under mandatory coronavirus quarantine at a Surfers Paradise hotel.

While the rules under lockdown are strict, and those at the Voco hotel are not even able to interact with one another, residents say their spirits are still high as they await the end of their 14 day quarantine.

Gold Coast man Jordan Bond spent his 30th birthday inside the Gold Coast quarantine hotel, the Voco.

Speaking to The Bulletin exclusively, Gold Coast man Jordan Bond said his time within the four walls of his room had gone quickly.

“I’m already a week down and it hasn’t ever felt too slow or too much,” he told the Bulletin.

“I have been trying to sleep in as long as possible but jet lag has got me waking up bang on 6am every morning so the days have been pretty long.

“It’s a mixture of Facetime calls, Netflix, little YouTube Workouts, naps, and a couple of times a day my family or friends will come up and hang out, from eight storeys apart of course.”

Snacks provided for people in Gold Coast quarantine hotel, Voco.

Those in quarantine have food delivered to their door three times a day, but are also allowed to order in.

“The knocks on the door are some of the most exciting points of the day,” Mr Bond joked.

“It’s basically what you would expect to get as a meal on a plane.”

Breakfast given to travellers inside the Gold Coast quarantine hotel, the Voco.

Breakfast is either an omelette and hash browns, pastries or a bacon and egg toastie.

Lunch is generally a sandwich or a hot wrap and dinner is a hot meal.

“Aside from the main there’s always lots of fruit and cookies and juice or fizzy drinks and water,” he said.

If the residents order in, the food needs to be dropped at the reception and then left outside of the door to ensure no contact.

Members of the ADF at the front of the hotel. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

The Voco Hotel in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Residents say they are also getting on well with the Queensland Police who have been required to shadow them on their daily walks outside.

“The police have all been super nice and chatty. Obviously we’re all slightly better behaved than the people they normally have to deal with so they’ve been really great in letting us out for air or smokes or a quick change of scenery,” Mr Bond said.

He also complimented the hotel staff who he said have been attentive.

“They have been amazing too. They call a few times a day to check that we’re okay and have everything we need. They’ve started a Quarantine Quiz where the rooms compete against each other in a series of riddles which is great.”

Jordan Bond’s room in the Voco.

Despite the close quarters none of the residents have been able to interact with one another, as per the quarantine guidelines.

“I don’t see anyone other than the four people in rooms next or opposite, when we open our doors to collect our food or laundry,” Mr Bond said.

“We don’t have any contact with anyone else other than the police.

“It’s funny at different points of the day you can hear people in other rooms jumping around doing workouts too, at least that’s what I think they’re doing.”