Hotel visit will be so different in future

AFTER all we’ve been through over the last few months, I think we deserve a holiday.

So I checked into the Novotel at London Bridge yesterday, looking forward to room service and a break from my own four walls.

The hotel rolled out the welcome mat for me as their first guest in more than three months.

I followed a one-way system of floor stickers to reception, and was offered a mask, gloves and hand sanitiser.

Isabel, wearing her own mask and gloves, greeted me warmly from behind a tall perspex screen. I had already checked in online to minimise contact, so our interaction was short but sweet.

Before handing over the room card, she pointed me in the direction of their new selection of continental breakfast treats. Grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and orange juice, I made my way towards the lift.

Views

Only one guest or household is allowed inside at a time to maintain social distancing.

Stickers on the corridor floor urge guests to keep to the right so that others could pass and maintain a two-metre gap.

A simple tap with a key card opened the door to my sixth-floor Superior Suite, with views of the sky-scraping Shard.

Lounging around in a robe while eating dinner is now out of the question as fluffy gowns have been removed from rooms.

A morning workout is also off the cards as the hotel’s gym remains shut.

The manager assured me all surfaces and bed sheets had been cleaned with ant-viral chemicals at 140F (60C).

When my stay had come to an end, I dropped my key card into a box and heading out the revolving door.

A lot has changed inside hotels but the five star service remains the same.