Hotels – How They are Confronting COVID

Jul 1

Photo by Edmundo Sáez / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

While many people may not find it ideal to stay in a hotel right now, the reality is that it’s sometimes unavoidable. For my husband and me, a night in a hotel recently became a necessity when we sold our house, and -- after the movers picked up the furniture and we were handling cleaners and the buyers’ inspection – we needed a place in town to stay for a couple of nights before heading to our new city and new home there.

A Marriott property in our hometown was our hotel of choice; it was reasonably close to our home, and we wanted the standards and reliability of a national/international chain that has committed to safety protocols that address COVID. Marriott has put in place certain cleaning procedures and technologies that we thought could at least mitigate the risks of COVID; plus, this was an Autograph Collection property that would already be at a high level of service. For more on Marriott’s approach to addressing coronavirus risks, check out: https://clean.marriott.com

We noticed first off when we checked in that the front desk staff and others were all wearing masks, and that there were many hand sanitizer dispensers located throughout the property. We were also informed at check-in that there would be no housekeeping service for our two-night stay, in order to avoid more contact than necessary for both the cleaning crew and us. We were fine with this as it limited everyone’s exposure. And we anticipated that certain cleaning regimens would have changed. What we weren’t prepared for was how all the door handles, light switches, toilet flushing levers, phones, television remotes, and other similar surfaces in our room would be covered with sanitizing plastic to show they had been cleaned and free from touch before our arrival. As you can see from the pictures, this hotel was serious about cleaning.

We were really pleased with this arrangement, and impressed with the thoughtful way that the hotel had approached these issues. We also ate in the hotel restaurant, at the bar, where seats had been marked off to separate patrons, and the menu was only available on paper (to be disposed of after use). While it takes some getting used to in adapting to this new pandemic-focused world of hospitality, you can’t help but appreciate the efforts that the industry is making to try to reassure patrons. We felt comfortable at this property, and if we have to travel later this summer, Marriott would be our first choice again.