On March 29, Sofitel London St James will be the first central London hotel to provide space and facilities for Covid-19 testing on site.
British biotech company HALO will set up and manage a testing center in the hotel, which will allow hotel guests, local businesses and members of the general public who live or work nearby to access saliva testing in person or via home delivery.
In addition to the existing "Test & Rest" offering, which allows hotel guests to book a night's stay and take a HALO test, the 183-room facility will offer the entire community access to a testing center.
In the spirit of communities coming together at this important time, we are proud to be able to offer on-site testing for Covid-19 at the Sofitel London St James. Not only will this facility be available to our guests and business travellers but to those living and working in the areas near our hotel. It is important that we all look to what we can do to help others and I hope that the availability of our testing hub will assist those in the local community hoping to get back to normality.
Marie-Paule Nowlis, General Manager, Sofitel London St James
The opening of our Covid-19 testing hub at the Sofitel London St James is a great step forward to creating greater access to non-invasive saliva-based tests for the Central London community. We will now be able provide almost 100% accurate tests in person or facilitate close door-to-door delivery with results being made available within 24 hours, with the potential for certain results being accessible within 90 minutes.
Alistair Ruffett, HALO's Director of Operations
Two types of saliva-based Covid-19 tests will be used: PCR and LAMP. Both are nearly 100% accurate, with prices starting at £49.99. PCR test results are typically available in less than 24 hours, while LAMP tests can be performed in 90 minutes and processed on site.
Users will have the ability to track the progress of their test via the HALO app and will receive notifications once the test is received, processed and the result is ready. They will receive a verification certificate with results that can be downloaded or stored to prove a test.
