Indian American hoteliers offer free accommodation to stranded Indian students

Indian American hoteliers have come forward to the rescue of Indian students stranded in the US following implementation of lockdown measures in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, by offering free accommodation and in some cases food.

With the students scrambling for a roof over their head after being asked to vacate their hostels and India banning international flights for a week from March 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 6,000 rooms in nearly 700 hotels were offered to them by Wednesday following a call from the Indian Embassy.

The Indian Embassy have been running a round-the-clock helpline since last week for the students in the US, who number over 2,50,000.

Most of these hotels offered are in and around universities and colleges, but hotels owners from across the country have come up in large numbers to the call given by community leaders, who have roped in Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) for the purpose.

India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu said in a tweet, "It is heartening to see that Indian; Indian American and other hotel owners are coming forward to help people with accommodation in these testing times. Together we can overcome the fight against COVID19!"
Patel has also sent out a video message to his hotelier colleagues: "Because of the coronavirus outbreak, our Indian students in the US are out of shelter. Let's work together. As a hotelier, I would like to request all my hotelier friends to come forward... let's provide some rooms to the students."
Florida-based Vipul Patel, the national president of Asian American Store Owners Association, said support for the Indian students have been pouring in from the Indian American hoteliers. "I have not come across any hotel owner who said no to us."