One of the hotel chains involved in quarantining returning New Zealanders says the welfare of staff is his top priority.

Sudima Hotels has been running quarantine facilities in Auckland.

It had to convert its Rotorua hotel to a quarantine facility at short notice, after the designated quarantine facilities in Auckland reached full capacity.

Chief operating officer Les Morgan told Mike Hosking that they weren't aware that they would be used as a facility until Saturday afternoon, when they were contacted at 1pm  to say the Rotorua hotel might be needed.

"At 2PM, the military arrived and inspected the site. At 4PM, it was confirmed, 6PM the Ministry of Health arrived, at 10PM PPE training was carried out for our staff, and by 3:30 Sunday morning, we had received our first guest."

He says he wasn't prepared to do so, until he was certain that it was safe.

"Hospitality and hotel people are used to deal with crises, but the big worry is the health and safety and wellbeing of our employees."

He says people living near these facilities have no reason to be concerned. 

"I hate to say it but we're experts in it now, we've been doing it for over three hours, and I go on site to these places to check our own systems, and they're very strict."