Free Hotel Rooms For Cancer Patients
If you’ve ever tried to book a hotel room near Boston, then you know that it can cost you hundreds of dollars a night, even at “inexpensive” hotels and motels. That’s why Extended Stay America and the American Cancer Society have teamed up in a multi-year partnership where the hotel chain will provide 20,000 free overnight stays to cancer patients who have to travel for treatment. Extended Stay America will offer 10,000 rooms free of charge to patients plus an additional 10,000 stays at a special rate of $12 a night. Seriously, just twelve dollars.
The pilot program launched in three cities (Atlanta, Boston, and Houston) on November 1st and will expand into other cities in December before launching nationwide in early 2014.
“Extended Stay America is committed to giving back to the many communities in which we operate, and one important way to accomplish this is by taking care of those who seek a better future for themselves and their families,” says Jim Donald, chief executive officer of Extended Stay America. “With cancer impacting everyone’s life in some way, we’re proud to partner with the American Cancer Society to provide the key to hope for patients battling cancer so they can focus on their fight.”
According to the American Cancer Society, finding the best cancer treatment usually means that patients have to travel. Shockingly, these patients have to travel an average of 140 miles for treatment in another city, and sometimes patients have to stay for weeks or months at a time. Through its Hope Lodge program, the American Cancer Society offers free lodging to patients and their caregivers. In 2012, Hope Lodge provided more than 260,000 nights of free lodging to cancer patients, saving them an estimated $26 million in hotel costs. Now, the 632 participating Extended Stay America hotel locations will help to alleviate the demand on the 31 American Cancer Society Hope Lodge facilities that are usually running at capacity.
“The American Cancer Society is dedicated to removing the barriers that cancer patients face when seeking treatment,” says Kristen Solt, vice president, Hope Lodge Network, American Cancer Society. “Having to travel for treatment puts an additional burden on families who are already going through a great deal of emotional and financial stress. With Extended Stay America’s unprecedented donation of 20,000 hotel nights, we’re able to provide increased support for patients and ease some of the burden of cancer in their lives.”
Fortunately, here in Boston we have some of the top cancer hospitals in the country. But finding a hotel room in Boston can be a nightmare. Extended Stay has a plethora of hotels near Boston, including cities such as Braintree, Peabody, Waltham, Burlington, and Woburn.
Extended Stay America provides a comfortable living situation for cancer patients because every room has a kitchen, flat-screen TVs with premium channels, in-room Wi-Fi, and daily breakfast. Accommodations can also be made for pets and every hotel has a laundry center on-site.
To request an Extended Stay America room near Boston, cancer patients or their caregivers should contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.
