CINCINNATI -- Hotels have offered empty rooms to needy families for a free night's stay during the holiday season for decades -- the tradition dates back to the 1980s.
Now, hotels around the country have streamlined the process to make access to these free rooms easier through the Room in the Inn program through TMI Hospitality.
"We thought, why not offer that one thing to people that can alleviate a little bit of that stress over the holidays?" said Nicole Ellis, spokeswoman for TMI Hospitality.
This isn't a program that's just aimed to help the poor; Room in the Inn also helps people who are visiting loved ones who are sick or in the hospital over the holiday season.
More than 200 hotels across the country take part in Room in the Inn, including The Fairfield Inn in Middletown, the Homewood Inn and Suites in Hilliard.
Watch the video above to hear from one of the grateful guests.