Ovolo Hotel is proud to announce the launch of The Ovolo Homecoming Project in partnership with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and The Zubin Foundation with further support from Pathfinders. Together, the Hong Kong based hotel group and its local partners are working towards bringing stranded Hong Kong residents back home.

The Ovolo Homecoming Project

Through The Ovolo Homecoming Project, Ovolo Hotels will offer Hong Kong residents with financial difficulties the opportunity to quarantine at Ovolo Southside for the peppercorn rent of HKD$1 per night for the 21-night quarantine period instated by the Hong Kong government. To begin with, Ovolo Hotels has pledged up to 200 room nights towards this campaign. Ovolo Hotels has begun vetting applications and is working hand in hand with The Zubin Foundation and Pathfinders to find suitable candidates. The first guest began quarantine at Ovolo Southside on February 12, with more stays upcoming soon.

Potential candidates for The Ovolo Homecoming Project need to fill out an application form via the Ovolo website. Ovolo Hotels and The Zubin Foundation will then review each applicant with the timeline, which will take about ten days. Once the candidate is confirmed for the 21-night quarantine stay at Ovolo Southside, they can also apply for help with their travel costs, which will be met in part at a ceiling of HK$4,000 per person by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.

Girish Jhunjhnuwala, chief executive officer of Ovolo Hotels, states: “The Ovolo Homecoming Project is the first of its kind, and I am very proud to be partnering with the likes of Shalini Mahtani from The Zubin Foundation and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, both very respected organizations in our community, on such a meaningful project. Apart from helping the people of Hong Kong, I am hoping that this project will also set a precedent for other Hong Kong leaders to step forward and give back to the community around them – the community that’s given us all so much.”

Helping those who need it most

Shalini Mahtani, founder and CEO of The Zubin Foundation, adds: “At The Zubin Foundation, we improve the lives of marginalized ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. The poverty rate of ethnic minorities pre-COVID was already high at 25.7%. The pandemic has further hit the ethnic minority community, especially those who work in the F&B, airport-related jobs and construction. We are proud to be partnering with Ovolo’s HK$1 initiative supporting ethnic minorities individuals who are in financial need. Ovolo will be providing financially needy ethnic minorities who are Hong Kong residents and who are unable to afford to quarantine in Hong Kong’s hotels, with a daily rate of HK$1 up to 21 days.This is incredible, and we hope that others will follow Ovolo’s lead.”

Ms. Ginny MAN, Chairman of Board of Directors for Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, concludes: “It has always been the mission of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) to help the poor and people of Hong Kong since its establishment in 1870. We are glad to join hands with Ovolo Hotel Hong Kong and The Zubin Foundation in providing financial support to those who are now stranded … overseas because of the pandemic to return to Hong Kong through The Ovolo Homecoming Project. Our group is most willing to subsidize the airfares through the TWGHs Emergency Relief Fund. We hope that we can help alleviate their financial burden and serve different strata of people in the community at their difficult times.”

About Ovolo Hotels

Ovolo Hotels has been at the forefront of quarantine in Hong Kong since regulations were first put in place by the Hong Kong government in 2020. The launch of Ovolo’s Quarantine Concierge in 2020 was extremely well received by residents, and The Ovolo Homecoming Project represents an extension of their maxim that all returning residents should be treated with both dignity and respect.

The Ovolo Group is a collection of contemporary hotels that keep you connected to the little luxuries you love, all effortlessly included. The company prides itself on   being   in   touch   with   the   modern   traveler   through award-winning   interior designs, detail-driven comforts, complimentary value-added services like the mini bar and breakfast, with cutting-edge technology. Ovolo Hotels have been acknowledged for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence, receiving the accolade “Hotel Brand of the Year” at the 2019 and 2020 HM Awards.

This article was contributed by Ovolo Hotels, a family-owned and privately-operated business operating four hotels and three restaurants in Hong Kong, and seven hotels and five restaurants across Australia in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.

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