The back to back sucker punches of Harvey and Irma caused untold damage, and significant loss of life; a tragedy of epic proportions. But, the storms also brought out the best of humanity. Especially for the hotelier community.

As we all know, hoteliers are imbued with the spirit of hospitality, and many times become de facto caregivers in times of crisis. This was especially true during these two hurricanes. As people fled their homes, many sought safety at hotels. And hoteliers throughout Texas, Florida, and elsewhere, were there delivering that peace of mind during an immense time of struggle.

In a report appearing in Hotel News Now, the Destination Hotels operated Hotel Derek in Houston, took in guests who could not get out of Harvey’s path.

“The team (of about 40 people) at the hotel now have been there … working in shifts to bring in people and keep them safe,” Stephanie Summerall, the hotel’s sales and marketing director told HNN in the middle of the storm’s immediate aftermath. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before—front-desk staff, waiters, management, kitchen staff, engineers—some of them haven’t even seen their own homes yet, but they are serving our community… Even in people’s darkest hours, they’re being extra generous and kind to their neighbors.”

The staff of the 312-room hotel also sourced food and supplies from anywhere they could find that was open, as their normal vendors could not get supplies to them.

White Lodging did their part for the 20 hotels they operate in the area, by loosening typical rules to help families who brought their furry loved ones along. At their Austin Marriott South property, evacuees from Victoria, Corpus Christi and Houston were occupying about 50 rooms Sunday, general manager David Rowland told the Austin American-Statesman.

“We’ve softened the animal policy and the cancellation policy to be as flexible as possible,” said Rowland. “We’ve noticed the little things seem to really make a big difference.”

Dorothy Trainer, cluster director of sales for White Lodging’s Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard Austin North hotels, said the properties were hosting about 100 people from a Houston-area assisted living facility. “We are taking care of all our guests and prioritizing evacuees,” Trainer said. “We are doing our best to anticipate everything they might need and trying to make them as comfortable as possible.”

Meanwhile, in Florida, where Irma made landfall the following week, hoteliers here too displayed an unyielding display of hospitality.

According to 91-year old Dorothea Brown, when a hurricane strikes, she takes shelter at a Comfort Inn in Fort Meyers.  she told NPR, it’s her «second home when we have to evacuate. Every time there’s a storm, we come here,» said Brown.

The hotel staff, sought shelter there too, bringing their families along to ride out the storm while they also cared for guests. To feed guests, general manager Flor Garcia said they emptied out their personal home refrigerators. «We just went to our houses to get whatever we had in them, meat or anything, and we already had the grill here.»

Choice Hotels International reached out to those affected by these devastating natural disasters. “The hospitality industry is doing its part to monitor these storms, as well as support recovery efforts,» said Pat Pacious, President and CEO of Choice Hotels. «We’ve been partnering with the American Red Cross and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for years and have seen the positive impact that they have on communities to provide critical, hands-on support to the disaster victims. We are also grateful to the many individual Choice Hotels properties across the country who are leading their own fundraising and relief initiatives, as well as the donations from our Choice Privileges loyalty members.»

Finally, Walt Disney World, urged guests to stay inside, and closed its theme and water parks. Those trapped at the Happiest Place on Earth, were entertained by cast members who stayed with guests rather than look after their own homes. Cast members created dance parties, held character visits and hosted games and trivia contests.

All in all, the spirit of hospitality was alive and well in Florida and Texas, to try and help ease the stress and anxiety of many of our fellow citizens.