By Mark Lee, Kevin Eggleston and Karim Chandani

As the nation’s lodging industry ramps up after the COVID-19 induced decline, its biggest drop in business since the Great Depression, it faces a two-pronged challenge: not only must operators take meticulous care to safeguard everyone’s health on every front as they reopen, but also, they must do so in a way that preserves the kind of experience guests expect to help drive the demand it will take to reopen. Here’s how it’s reshaping the industry.

Welcome, and wait while we check your temperature

Health concerns begin at the front door, where guests may well have arrived after having self-parking their cars. (Some hotels, like Marriott, still offer valet parking to ensure safety standards are met, like disinfecting car keys and wearing gloves.) The front door itself may open automatically to reduce risk of virus exposure.

Another safety option is disposable wipes inside the door. But before guests advance, some hotels are asking them to stop first for a wellness screening, and to sign off on using hand sanitizer, commit to wearing a face mask in public spaces and to observe physical distancing. (Signage should advise guests of these measures and discourage them from entering if they have symptoms.)

Digital solutions and safety over aesthetics

While some hotels are using partitions to separate guests and attendants at the lobby registration, the Coronavirus is driving greater use of technology. Cell phones are serving as digital room keys, to make payments and to facilitate contactless check-ins and outs. Hilton, for one, has introduced the latter service at over 4,700 properties.

Aesthetics may also have to take the back seat to safety as hotel public areas focus on signage promoting physical distancing, and hand sanitizing stations are everywhere, from entry points to elevator banks to restaurants. Furniture will be de-clustered. Guests also will likely wait for an elevator: While there are no specific physical distancing requirements for hotel elevators, general limits should be posted given the risk. The average hotel elevator button has 1,477 times more germs than a bathroom door handle.

Guest rooms go minimalist

Rooms may look barer, too, with difficult-to-disinfect items like pillows, pamphlets, and pens disappearing. Guest services and room services will now be accessed online. Many hotels are also doing away with the in-room mini-bars. Those that aren’t handing out personal safety kits with gloves and hand sanitizer at the front door are providing them in the room. Many changes, though, won’t be visible to guests. Housekeeping policies and procedures are more stringent. Cleaning won’t necessarily be done daily for guests staying multiple nights. And some may wait to service the room 24 to 72 hours after a guest departs. And others will use electrostatic and ultraviolet light technology to sanitize; others sanitize air ducts after guest departures.

Safety measures and restaurants, pools, hotel gyms

Not all hotel restaurants will be re-opening in this environment, and safety considerations will make it a different guest experience. Some hotels will only offer room service, but physical distancing will mean the food will be left on a tray outside the door. Those that can afford the investment may deliver via robots. Regardless, those hotels with restaurants that do open are unlikely to bring back their buffets because of the risk factor, and seating will be arranged to limit capacity – via partitions or removing tables and chairs.

In gyms, the need for low-touch interactions will lead to masked attendants in gyms disinfecting all (distanced) equipment after each use and amenities like headphones and fruit will become a thing of the past. Spa treatments will be vastly reduced for safety, too. And beverage stations will be more do-it-yourself at the pool and beach, where physical distancing rules will be posted.

Even as such guest-facing changes are underway, hotel management is going through an extensive list of risk management measures to prepare their operations for the future:

  • Intense training on employee safety and sanitation.
  • Safety protocols for their suppliers.
  • Ensuring employees are aware and accessing employee assistance programs.

For the hospitality industry, this safety-driven reinvention will be critical to its comeback. But another crucial component will be providing education and support to employees and guests to help them adjust to the new hotel experience. And that adjustment may take time. HUB International’s team of brokers is available to help your hospitality organization understand and manage its risk and insurance concerns. Learn more about COVID-19 and the hospitality industry here.

Get the latest information, guidance and resources on Coronavirus (COVID-19) to help you protect what matters most on our Coronavirus Resource Center.