Pandemic has changed how hotels are operating

Expect digital keys and no-contact room service

The next time you stay at a hotel, your hygiene experience will be different because of the coronavirus pandemic. A lot different.

Hotels updated their procedures during the past few weeks to boost confidence among wary travelers. Industry executives on recent earnings calls have been hopeful about leisure travel demand starting to pick up – and it has, slightly – but overall occupancy levels at chains such as Hilton and Marriott remain low.

“Now the challenge for hotels is how you deliver a welcoming service encounter as well as ensure the safety and health of your employees and guests,” said Linda Canina, a professor at The Hotel School in Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business.

Here’s a look at what you can expect when you next visit a hotel, based on guidelines from the American Hospitality & Lodging Association and major chains.

The main entrance

You walk into your standard hotel, baggage in tow (after most likely parking the car yourself). You handle your luggage yourself but know that someone with sanitized hands is there to help if need be.

In Marriott’s case, many of their hotels use vendor-provided valet service, according to spokesman John Wolf. The chain will work to make sure standards are met, like disinfecting car keys and wearing gloves.

You are likely wearing a mask, though you may be able to snag one when you get there. If you’re staying at a Sandals resort or Proper hotel, your temperature will be checked when you arrive. Check with your hotel individually to find out if you can expect that.

A top hotel will have asked you before you arrive what you’re interested in to best bolster your experience during these strenuous times.

“What I expect is that the top hotels will be finding out the guest preferences before arriving and then trying to customize the guest experience,” Canina said. This includes everything from whether you want exercise equipment in your room or if you’d like boxed and sealed meals and snacks during your stay.

You pass hand-sanitizing stations and see signs indicating social distancing measures. Throughout the hotel, there are signs with reminders for how to wear, handle and throw away masks. down your phone after this – and open either your email or hotel app to find your reservation details. You check in via an app for contact-free check-in to your accommodations.

If you stay at a Hilton hotel, you’ll receive a digital room key. Hilton Honors members already have access to such digital keys.

Elevator

The elevator should have been cleaned by the time you hop in – employees are cleaning elevators at the start of their shifts and during the day – but you avoid touching your face after anyway, until you’ve had time to wash or sanitize your hands. You use hotel-provided hand sanitizer or hand-sanitizing wipe before you push any buttons.

You spot several groups waiting at the elevator landing, so you wait your turn to get on and avoid crowding the area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t issued specific guidance for hotel elevators, though the agency’s guidelines for shared and congregate housing suggest not squeezing on all at once.

Guest room

You see an official room seal (at Hilton, anyway) indicating that a room hasn’t been accessed after being deep cleaned. Use your digital key to access the room.

Try not to worry about everything in your room not being clean; hotels are using advanced techniques like electrostatic sprayers and ultraviolet light to make their processes even more robust. Housekeepers shouldn’t be entering your room during a stay unless you ask; be prepared to ask for anything extra, like towels.

Food and beverages

You get hungry and decide to order room service. You won’t encounter a chipper staffer bringing you a tray on a cart. Expect to pick up your meal outside your door in an effort to maintain distance.

At your hotel, you do see a buffet, though an attendant wearing personal protective equipment is closely guarding it, along with sneeze and cough screens. The table you choose to sit at lacks traditional items like condiments, silverware, glassware and napkins.

You also spot grab-and-go food options with prepackaged items.

Check-out

Just like you checked in, you use your phone and avoid the front desk again in an effort to socially distance.

It may not have been your typical hotel experience, but you may want to get used to such experiences going forward. At least in Hilton’s case, its program will likely be around “forever,” Hilton’s senior vice president and global head of new brand development Phil Cordell told USA TODAY.

GETTY IMAGES During your next hotel stay, you may park your own car and handle your own luggage.