271 | Clean Breaks: Hotels face new expectations of health and safety in the age of COVID-19

05/27/20 • 38 min

The U.S. hotel industry has begun its comeback as all states are reopening their economies. The numbers show that occupancy is slowly but steadily increasing as hotels get back to business. But, to be sure, it is not business as usual.

Relatively few hotels completely closed during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 80 percent remained open and found themselves serving essential workers, housing vulnerable populations or being transitioned into health care facilities. During this time, hotel owners and operators have discovered and introduced new health and safety protocols into their standard operating procedures.

This is probably reassuring to current guests, but it’s easy to be fooled into complacency.

People planning leisure or business trips this summer might believe every hotel and motel in America has undergone deep cleaning and now practices heightened housekeeping protocols. But one hotel CEO Lodging Leaders interviewed says he recently discovered that’s not so, and fears lackadaisical owners are in danger of losing their businesses to the coronavirus.

In this episode, Lodging Leaders looks at the new standard of clean and steps the industry is taking as a whole to reassure the public their properties are safe. We also talk to an industry supplier and other advisers who stress the importance of following product instructions and on documenting the steps your staff is taking to clean and sanitize your hotel.

This is probably reassuring to current guests, but it’s easy to be fooled into complacency.

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270 | Critical Messages: Hotel marketing in the wake of COVID-19

With more than half of the states in America reopening their economies, owners and operators of lodging accommodations might be tempted to return to business as usual. That includes sales and marketing strategies that management was deploying before the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the hospitality industry.

But hotel marketing experts we interviewed say business will be anything but usual as the hospitality sector begins to recover in a consumer environment influenced by fear and an abundance of caution.

COVID-19 is still with us and it dictates new ways of doing business.

In this episode of Lodging Leaders, we explore strategies hotel owners and operators need to consider when preparing to market to prospective guests as well as how to maintain relationships with customers who depend upon the industry for shelter in a time of uncertainty.

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272 | A New Digital Reality: Hotels turn to technology to redefine guest engagement

As the U.S. lodging sector begins to get back to business amid the coronavirus crisis, technology will play a much bigger role in operations than before the outbreak paralyzed the industry.

Technological solutions in operations and guest management were emerging in hotels before the COVID-19 pandemic. But experts say the next generation of tech is quickly dawning as owners, operators, employees and guests face a new digital reality in light of health and safety.

This episode of Lodging Leaders focuses on what might be ahead as hoteliers begin to rethink how technology can help them run leaner and cleaner operations as well as interact with guests who expect value despite the health threat.

Hotels that don’t embrace new technology today will be left behind when the industry gets back to business.