In the News: Local businesses converted to charities

CONRAD HOTEL HOUSING FRONTLINE WORKERS
Goldman Sachs, which owns the Conrad Hotel (Hilton operates it), is using the 463 luxury rooms to house doctors, nurses and other medical staff, officials said. “Thanks in part to one-on-one discussions between Goldman Chief Executive David Solomon and Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta, the Conrad has been included in the hotel chain’s initiative with American Express to offer 1 million rooms nationwide to people on the front lines of the Big Apple’s coronavirus fight, sources told The Post.” It’s booked 176 workers comprising a total of 939 room nights through May 10. –-The Post

CHOBANI IN SOHO NOW A FOOD PANTRY
Chobani has turned its café in SoHo into a temporary food pantry, where employees are giving away free Chobani products as of April 28. The café will open twice a week for the foreseeable future to give free products and support families and food bank workers. The Café food pantry is staffed by Chobani Café employees and volunteers from the company’s #BeAShepherd initiative. (Chobani is the Turkish word for “shepherd.”) Chobani will also send a truck every day to food banks in areas like New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit. –amNY 

THE DEAFENING SOUND OF QUIET
Gothamist has a story about New Yorkers who have to listen to their neighbors for the first time, now the streets are so quiet. And Pen Parentis founder Milda DeVoe, who lives in BPC, weighs in: “It’s so eerie. I heard footsteps upstairs for the first time at night when I was trying to sleep because it was so quiet. I’ve actually started sleeping with a radio on. I have it on low. I am totally unused to sleeping with no noise.”

 

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