Northstar

4 | www.travelweekly-asia.com 4 | www.travelweekly-asia.com H otels will need to offer hospital-grade hygiene to reassure guests that post- Covid-19 their well-being will be front and centre of operations. For the large international chains, measures are already underway to offer guests protection at every step of their journey through the hotel from contactless check-in to contactless check-out. In between, rooms are likely be unlocked by digital keys. Room amenities such as pens, notepads and hotel directories will be removed, and rooms will be tagged with a seal to show that no one has accessed the room after deep cleaning. "There's always been an expectation that [a hotel] would be clean, but now the clean has a double exclamation point after it," said Phil Cordell, Hilton's global head of new brand development. There will be changes in the restaurants where tables will be placed further apart and the hotel buffet might disappear altogether. Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott are among brands rethinking the restaurant buffet at their hotels. "We must critically examine the hotel experience from every vantage point – from rooms and lobbies to spas and dining – bringing in the latest research, technology and innovation to make that happen," said Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt president and CEO. Big hotel chains lead the way in new health standards Marriott has launched its Global Cleanliness Council which aims to raise global hospitality cleanliness standards designed to minimise risk and enhance safety for guests and employees alike. Marriott plans to use electrostatic sprayers with hospital- grade disinfectants to sanitise its hotels, from rooms to lobbies, gyms and other public areas. InterContinental Hotel Group is using new, science-led protocols and service measures, partnering with industry experts Cleveland Clinic, Ecolab and Diversey, to launch a global IHG Clean Promise. These measures, the hotel group says, will give guests "greater confidence and hotel teams the protection needed". While the larger chains have the resources to introduce these WTTC: COLLABORATION A MUST TO REBUILD TRAVELLER TRUST The World Travel and Tourism Council's new health and safety guidance advice for restarting hotel and hospitality industry operations comes with one big condition. Governments and the private sector must work together to rebuild trust and confidence among travellers. Gloria Guevara, WTTC president and CEO, said, "Coordination and alignment within the Travel and Tourism sector is vital to ensure that robust global measures are put in place to help rebuild confidence and which are jointly embraced by the governments and private sector." H O T E L S Big changes on the way for hotels and their guests: From contactless check-in to digital keys and medical teleconsultations, here's what to expect. By Ian Jarrett Say bye-bye to the buffet as hotels adopt hospital-like hygiene "Guests will choose to stay in the biggest branded hotels." – Keith Barr, chief executive, IHG measures, Keith Barr, IHG chief executive, believes guests will choose to stay in the "biggest branded hotels" when they are able to travel again, post-Covid-19. "This will put headwinds on home-sharing. We will also see weaker brands and independent hotels convert over to the big brands," Mr Barr added. Accor has struck a partnership with insurance giant AXA that will enable guests to benefit from medical care from AXA Partners, AXA's international entity specialised in assistance services, travel insurance and credit protection, from July. The medical service complements an overall Covid-19 global recovery plan that Accor has put in place through its ALLSAFE Cleanliness label in anticipation of the progressive reopening of its hotels across different regions. How the dining experience might be like as hotel groups rethink the buffet at their properties. CREDIT: ZNATTAKORN MANEERAT/GETTYIMAGES Every sector of the travel and tourism industry – from hoteliers, agents, tour operators to airlines and destinations – will be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic as the world adjusts to what is being called the "new normal". In this story, Travel Weekly Asia looks at the future of travel from the challenges faced by destination marketers to the ways in which technology will help travel professionals navigate through the pandemic and emerge in good shape on the other side.

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