ATLANTA — Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based, private hotel investment, ownership, and management company, announced that its associates will be provided with four hours of paid time off to receive COVID-19 vaccinations once they are eligible.
“Our associates are often juggling multiple jobs and navigating child care issues. We do not want them to have to choose between getting the COVID-19 vaccination and missing work,” said Susan M. Sanders, EVP and CHRO, HVMG. “Encouraging associates to take the vaccine, coupled with our hotel Trust and Preparedness tactics, are important measures to prevent the spread of this disease. This focus on preventative measures has helped to reduce the spread of COVID at our hotels.”
“Once an associate receives their final vaccination, s/he will be provided with four hours of paid time off. While it is not mandatory to take the vaccine, we want to remove barriers, such as missing hours at work, that could keep an associate from seeking out the vaccine,” Sanders added.
All associates across HVMG’s 45 hotels and the corporate office are eligible for the four hours of paid time off. The vaccine availability depends on the associate’s specific circumstances and the distribution prioritization in the local area. HVMG expects that, based on publicly available information, all associates will have the opportunity to receive the vaccine by the end of the summer.
“Since the very earliest stages of the pandemic, we have taken great steps to be at the forefront of the industry’s proactive measures to better ensure both associate and guest safety,” said Robert Cole, president and CEO, HVMG. “In April of 2020, we launched our first associate fund to help ease the financial burden being felt across the industry, and we established our Trust & Preparedness Plan by May, marking one of the first cleaning/safety protocols put forth by a hotel management group. We passionately believe that an active response is necessary to reassure both associates and guests that their safety concerns are being addressed.”
“Our hope is that by encouraging more people to receive vaccinations, we collectively will be able to end this health crisis that much sooner and more effectively,” Cole added. “Quite simply, this is the right thing to do.”
