Rather than have a patient and related family members search for the closest hotel and best prices when traveling to Lexington for an early morning operation or extended stay, area hospitals work closely with hotels to secure nearby rooms.
“There are 18 hotels here that give us a special rate. We couldn’t do what we do for patients without that kind of help,” said Elaine Greer, director of pastoral care and patient relations at Baptist Health. “We have a way of making reservations for those patients so they’re close by for appointments the next day. The hospital actually pays for that. It’s part of our customer service. For families, we simply have the discount arrangement and they pay that rate.”
The hospital also provides maps showing its location relative to all of the participating hotels so people can choose their own.
“I usually communicate with general managers. They let me know what accommodations they have available and the negotiated rates. I keep that list updated. We provide it to families looking for a place
to stay close to the hospital,” said Nick Wiley, Baptist Health’s patient advocate. “We let families decide but if they have questions, like which ones are closest, we help them out.”
Hotel bookings for University of Kentucky ballgame days and nights and during conventions, shows and other special events in Lexington sometimes cut into hotel-room inventory, which makes things a little tight at times, but everyone manages.
One hotel that claims 60 percent of its business comes from medical bookings is University Inn on Limestone Street at Waller Avenue, located near the UK’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital, the Lexington VA Medical Center and Baptist Health triangle.
“Most people who come here are from eastern Kentucky. They’re in Lexington to see their doctor for a regular appointment or to have some work done,” said Janie Adams, general manager of University Inn.
Baptist Health is a good source of business for University Inn. On one recent day, Adams said 24 people affiliated with Baptist Health were scheduled to spend the night there. Each day, the hospital sends her a list of patients who will be sleeping there that night.
“They literally pay us to host people the night before their procedure, if they meet certain criteria, like how far away they live from here,” Adams said. “Sometimes they need to be at the hospital before dawn for surgery.”
Aside from lists provided by the hospitals, Adams has her staff ask guests at check-in why they’re in town. If it’s for medical reasons, that, too, goes into a daily report.
Adams meets a lot of families at a low point in their lives. Some stay extended periods because a relative is receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatments or getting a heart transplant or was in a car wreck and must undergo a long rehabilitation.
“We become their home away from home,” she said.
Todd Frush, general manager at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – The Campbell House, also sees many patients and their families at his hotel, located right across the street from Saint Joseph Hospital. It adds up to 10 percent to 15 percent of his annual business.
“Patients, patients’ families and hospital administrators are guests. We also get some meeting room and catering business through the hospitals. We get the gambit,” Frush said. “Not only do we work with [St. Joseph], but also UK and Baptist Health Lexington.”
Frush also sees business from the medical park next door, which houses many private practices and physician groups. Surgeries and other outpatient work are done there, too.
“We do a lot of family business, because it’s a matter of convenience for them, and we provide a shuttle service to any of the area hospitals, based on availability,” Frush said.
The Crowne Plaza gets a lot of feedback from people who have stayed there for medical reasons, Frush said.
“We get a lot of compliments,” Frush said. “They’re very grateful. Many people know there are hotels out there but don’t know how to find them. It’s our job to make those connections. They’re under a lot of stress, so we try to make it as comfortable and easy as possible while they’re here.”