Irish-owned hotel group in NYC teams up with Irish COVID test provider

The Fitzpatrick Hotel Group in New York City is teaming up with the Irish company LetsGetChecked to provide COVID tests for guests to purchase and use before traveling.

When guests make their reservations at one of the two Fitzpatrick hotels in New York City, they will be emailed a link to purchase the at-home test kit for €129 / $119, according to The Irish Examiner.

Of their at-home test, LetsGetChecked says: “Our Coronavirus Test (COVID-19) requires a gentle lower nasal swab to be collected by you in the home. The test kit comes with a UPS next day air return shipping label to send your sample back to our lab. Your sample is analyzed in our lab using an extremely accurate RT-PCR based test to confirm the presence of coronavirus (COVID-19). We aim to deliver your result within 24-72 hours of your sample being received in our laboratory.”

Hotelier John Fitzpatrick told The Irish Examiner: “You click the link with this and it's in your house the next day. At least you have the peace of mind getting on a plane knowing you're negative.”

Fitzpatrick said the test kit is "brilliant" and that if customers are unsure how to use it, they can FaceTime with LetsGetChecked.

He added: “We'd rather someone is tested before they travel, from our employees' point of view it's much safer for them to come with a negative test already done. From a hotelier's point of view, it's best to protect all our guests and our staff."

Peter Foley, founder and CEO of LetsGetChecked, said: "LetsGetChecked is pleased to have partnered with Fitzpatrick Hotels to provide guests with access to our FDA EUA-authorized at-home Covid-19 test."

Fitzpatrick Hotels are proud to be the first hotel company in New York to team up with Covid testing company LetsGetChecked to offer guests direct access to convenient at home COVID testing in advance of travel to New York. pic.twitter.com/RaPh6gNUEu

— Fitzpatrick Hotels (@FitzpatrickNYC) November 13, 2020

LetsGetChecked joins fellow Irish company AudioTek in providing precautionary services for the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group in New York City. 

Fitzpatrick said: “It's funny we're an Irish hotel in New York, and we're using all Irish products. You just put your face near the screen and it gives you your temperature, that came from AudioTek in Dublin, and we bought them for both hotels.”

In July, the Irish-owned hotel group outlined the added precautions it would be taking for its employees and guests in the midst of the pandemic. 

Fitzpatrick said: “Customers get their negative test before coming, they have their temperature screened at the door, and then they go to front desk, and we give them a welcome kit.

“It's a sealed bag with a little pouch and inside that is a face mask, gloves and sanitiser. There's even a cover for the remote control in your room, even though every room has been thoroughly sanitised. There's a mat beside the door with slippers.

"We've reduced the room count of each housekeeper, one who cleaned 14 rooms a day is now down to 10 because we want to make sure it's done thoroughly enough."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new quarantine guidelines effective November 4 for people traveling into New York.

For any traveler to New York State from a noncontiguous state, US territory, or CDC level 2 or level 3 country (Ireland is currently a Level 3 country), the new guidelines for travelers to test-out of the mandatory 14-day quarantine are below:

For travelers who were out-of-state for more than 24 hours:

• Travelers must obtain a test within three days of departure, prior to arrival in New York.
• The traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for three days.
• On day 4 of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain another COVID test.
• If both tests come back negative, the traveler may exit quarantine early upon receipt of the second negative diagnostic test.

For travelers who were out-of-state for less than 24 hours:

• The traveler does not need a test prior to their departure from the other state, and does not need to quarantine upon arrival in New York State.
• However, the traveler must fill out our traveler form upon entry into New York State, and take a COVID diagnostic test 4 days after their arrival in New York.