If you’ve stayed in a hotel lately, you probably know the drill: When you check in, a receptionist apologizes about the lack of housekeeping, in-room coffee, and towel changes. But they’re doing it to keep you safe from COVID-19.
Right?
Laurel Barton has her doubts. She was looking forward to leaving housework behind when she made plans to visit the Oregon coast recently.
“But when we arrived at our hotel, the clerk advised us there would be no servicing of rooms due to the pandemic,” says Barton, a guidebook author from Forest Grove, Oregon. “But we could come and ask for clean towels when needed.”
Barton wonders if hotels are going too far to protect guests from COVID-19 or any other harmful contagion that could come along. And she’s not alone. While many travelers view the precautions as overkill, experts say you can’t be too careful.
This summer, people traveling for the first time since the outbreak will find a different experience. It includes scaled-down room service, reduced in-flight amenities, and rules that may seem a little too strict. At the same time, prices may be as high as or higher than they were before the pandemic.
I still want my daily housekeeping and nightly turndown. My clients feel the same. When they have traveled to hotels during the pandemic, they wanted those services, without a doubt. They wanted the coffee in the room, the amenities, the snacks, housekeeping and turndown services.
Talk about…
