MORE The Mayfair Hotel in Westlake is one of 16 hotels currently participating in Project Roomkey. Photo by Anna Scott.
One year ago, hotelier Rachel Gerstein was preparing for a busy season ahead.
“We had just renovated, had a brand new lobby,” said Gerstein, who owns the 48-room Shelter Hotel in Koreatown. Then the pandemic hit, and cancellations started rolling in. Gerstein read about Project Roomkey, a city-county program to temporarily place older and medically vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in empty hotel rooms to protect them from COVID-19. She contacted LA Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office to enroll.
“It was a win-win,” Gerstein said. “I could offer jobs back to my entire staff. It was fantastic.”