ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions
2020 Summer
Richardson, TX
https://www.assaabloyglobalsolutions.com/en/solutions/hospitality/
Preparing Hotels for the New Normal of Hospitality — As the hospitality industry continues to struggle with hotel closures due to the global health crisis, many hoteliers are beginning to look beyond the present situation to better understand how their businesses will successfully operate once the situation eventually begins to improve. In order to regain guest confidence, industry professionals recognize that offerings and procedures will inevitably need to change to provide them with assurances that their hotel stay is truly safe. Yet while hotel leaders understand that demands for enhanced cleanliness will increase, determining what methods or solutions should be deployed remains less certain.
Some hotel brands and tourism organizations are beginning to provide examples of what new measures can be implemented to alleviate guest concerns and ensure their return. These can include strengthening housekeeping requirements with expanded daily cleaning checklists. New tasks can range from looking for germs with UV lights or changing disposable covers for remote controls. Hotels will also make it a point to more frequently wipe down surfaces in high traffic locations throughout a hotel.
The industry’s prior focus on eco-friendly practices such as stocking guestrooms with multiuse amenities, including shampoo bottles or toothpaste, may also change as priorities shift more towards minimizing guest health risks from shared items. While such steps will be vital in minimizing exposure to viruses, hotels will also need to provide guests with more concrete examples in order to remove any doubt about their commitment to enhanced cleanliness standards. Contactless technology offers hotels the ability to meet this new test by providing guests with visible cues that their health is a top priority from the moment they arrive. Options include the installation of self-opening doors at entrances, meeting rooms and bathrooms or providing contactless payment options.
More hotels are also turning to providing digital check-in and key services as a means of keeping safe distances and eliminating unnecessary surface contact. Guests can simply download an app to their mobile device that allows them to check in without risking germ exposure by waiting in front desk lines. The same app can also provide digital key access not just to guestrooms but to multiple areas throughout a hotel, replacing the need for physical keycards and further reducing the presence of shared surfaces.
Other contactless app benefits include controlling televisions, temperature and replacing a hotel’s compendium. Such examples may eventually form core requirements for future cleanliness certification programs designed to demonstrate that rigorous standards are in place. With the likelihood of these programs becoming a guest expectation, solution providers will remain committed to ensuring that hotels have the latest means necessary to earn back guest confidence and achieve a full and successful recovery in a post-COVID-19 world.