NEWPORT, Ky. — Three Northern Kentucky hotels offered local first responders free stays during hours of hard work in the winter storm.
"It's stressful on a regular day," Hampton Inn & Suites Newport Manager Heidi Smith said. "I think some of them said they were coming off 24-hour shifts."
After multiple inches of snow blanketed the Tri-State, Smith said warmth, a free place to sleep, hot meals and cups of coffee can make a world of difference for those saving lives.
The hotels offering free stays were:
- Hampton Inn & Suites Newport
- Hampton Inn & Suites Cincinnati West in Green Township
- Tru by Hilton in Sharonville
Smith said more than a dozen stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites. She said the first responders were relieved when they could "walk in these doors and know that they could take a breath." However, it was never for a full night's rest as they were on call 24/7.
"Some of them were going and coming just for four or five hours just to get some sleep and going right back out," she said.
Smith said without fail each responder greeted her with the biggest smile after experiencing ferocious conditions.
"You just appreciate it more that they can come in and work so hard and help so many people and be exhausted, but still come in and smiled and ask how my day was," Smith said.
She said the hotel doors would be open for however long the men and women needed it. Smith also said she feels honored to care for those who never stop taking care of the community around her.
"They're troopers," said Smith.
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