When COVID-19 hit the US in March 2020, cities around the country shut down and people were forced to stay home.
While many people in New York City forced to work from the city’s notoriously small apartments, Robert Mallia cracked the coronavirus pandemic code by living in Manhattan's five-star Chatwal hotel after learning that properties were required to keep one person on-site in case of trouble, NY Post reports.
Before enlisting Mallia's services, the owner of the 76-room luxury hotel asked others to take on the task, but was turned down by people who had dependents or family members to look after at home.
Mallia, a 36-year-old bachelor, works as an architectural designer for the Dream Hotel Group, which owns various Manhattan hotels including the Chatwal. With no kids at home, he was a perfect fit for the job.
“Having the chance to live in a building that you worked on is cool,” Mallia said. "My apartment is quite modest compared to a five-star luxury hotel.”
The lucky New Yorker has spent 14 months living in Room 307, ordering takeout, and has grown quite comfortable with his luxury stay.
“When weeks became months, I got used to my room, like in ‘Shawshank Redemption,’” he joked. “I’m content in my cell now.”
In return for his stay, Mallia is responsible for various duties around the hotel, including cleaning up after himself, sorting the mail, looking for leaks and other maintenance problems, and flushing every toilet in the hotel once a week. Twice a month, Mallia also turns on all of the showers and sinks for 10 minutes.
“It’s nothing too glamorous, I’m afraid,” he said. “I miss being home.”
Mallia occasionally leaves the hotel to visit his apartment in Queens, and is looking forward to returning home after the hotel reopens later this month.
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