Auckland Airport's Jet Park Hotel, which became synonymous with the COVID-19 pandemic, will reopen to the public on Friday.
The hotel's undergone a comprehensive renovation, having spent much of the past two years caring for positive patients.
A COVID camp was set up for those among the first to test positive for the virus.
Tall metal fences, armed officers, conference rooms transformed into medical centres, and PPE was a new addition to the staff uniform all to keep even the most reluctant guests safe.
"It's been a privilege to serve our community the last 24 to 28 months," Jet Park spokesperson Angelique Van Der Merwe said.
But fast forward a few months and Van Der Merwe said they have given the place more than just a deep clean as they prepare to reopen their doors to the public.
"Everything from the carpets, the beds, the headboards, the curtains, the TVs, even cabinetry within the rooms were replaced."
With the renovation planned before the pandemic, the hotel chain took the opportunity to donate old furnishings and appliances to those most in need - including sending two shipping containers worth of goods to Tongan communities.
"We've really made a point of sustainably repurposing all of those items, all of the beds went to local charities," Van Der Merwe said.
"They were of course deep cleaned before they went to their new homes and into Tonga."
Auckland University aerosol chemist Joel Rinderlaub said people don't need to worry about COVID lingering in the lobby as it doesn't survive for very long.
"The thing about COVID is it's not going to be able to survive more than at most three days so there's very little risk to catch COVID from a surface like that," Rinderlaub told Newshub.
"Most of the time we think of it as an airborne virus that lives in these aerosol particles."
Having helped care for more than 5000 community cases, together with other facilities around the country, it's finally time for the hotel to spring back into usual operations once again.
