Beginning Monday, Hilton and American Express will donate 1 million hotel rooms for medical professionals working on the coronavirus pandemic response.

The rooms will be available to doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other workers through the end of May, according to Hilton.

"They truly are heroes,” Hilton President and CEO Christopher Nassetta said in a statement. “We are honored to extend our Hilton hospitality to them during this difficult time.”

The American College of Emergency Physicians is one of 10 medical groups the companies are working with to make the rooms available for those who need them.

"Knowing that there is a safe, clean and comfortable hotel room waiting for you at the end of a long shift can make all the difference in the world right now," said William Jaquis, the group's president.

Marriott is donating $10 million in hotel stays for doctors and nurses. The company's efforts are focused on the areas of the country most affected by coronavirus, including New York and Newark, New Jersey; New Orleans; Detroit; Los Angeles; Las Vegas and Washington.

Marriott lets its customers donate their reward points to a variety of coronavirus relief efforts, including World Central Kitchen, Unicef, the American Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

About 80% of hotel rooms nationwide are empty, according to STR, a firm that analyzes hotel industry data.

Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, told USA TODAY that the pandemic could lead half of U.S. hotels to close.

There are about 56,000 hotels across the USA, and 25,000 of those could close in the next few weeks, at least temporarily, according to Rogers.

Contributing: David Oliver