NHS staff to stay for free at Surinder Arora's InterContinental hotel

With the newly opened Nightingale hospital now in full flow, NHS staff can rest-up after their gruelling shifts with free accommodation at the 5-star InterContinental hotel, thanks to the generosity of hotelier Surinder Arora.

The InterContinental is located next to the 02 Arena and is easily accessible from the Nightingale Hospital - formerly known as the ExCel centre.

With 453 bedrooms, 40 serviced flats and Europe's biggest hotel ballroom without pillars, the hotel will offer sanctuary to NHS workers who might otherwise have had long distances to travel to home.

The coronavirus pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 27 NHS workers. Arora hopes his gesture can support the nurses and doctors fighting on the frontline.

“The guys and girls in the NHS are putting their lives on the line,” Arora says. “If we can make their lives a bit easier when they rest, we need to do that to get over this horrible virus.”