The first travellers have been dropped off at Heathrow hotels this morning at the start of the government’s new travel quarantine scheme – as a hospitality boss vowed to make their ten-day, £1,750 stay more ‘homely’ with ‘branded shampoo, puzzles and crockery’.
Dozens of passengers were seen arriving by coach at the four-star Radisson Blu Edwardian after touching down in the UK from a variety of Covid red list countries including the UAE, Zambia and South Africa.
The hotel offers spacious and airy rooms with large windows, Egyptian cotton linen and goose down pillows – although confined guests will be unable to enjoy its spa or choice of three restaurants. Standard rooms cost around £150 a night while superior suites include their own Nespresso machine.
Throughout their stay guests will have to eat airline-style food left at their door, change their own sheets and towels and be accompanied by security if they want fresh air or a cigarette outside.
Fatima, who arrived from Dubai and was waiting for her baggage by the coach, told MailOnline this morning: ‘I’m with my two children who are waiting inside the hotel.
‘We knew that we would have to quarantine and don’t have a problem with this. This is a lovely hotel and I think it will be a nice stay. I’m actually quite looking forward to it.’
Fatima revealed that her and her family were met off the plane by security staff and after clearing immigration they were placed on coaches. She added: ‘It took quite a long time but they’ve been looking after us very well.’
As she tried to continue speaking, security staff intervened ordering her not to say anything else. There are around six private security officials at the hotel and another two or three on each coach that arrives.
There has been no word yet why the USA, the world’s biggest COVID hotspot, isn’t on the list.
33 ‘high-risk’ nations from which arriving travellers will have to quarantine in hotels
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