I just reread an article from 2019 containing advise for hotels. Since 2019 was long before the virtual disappearance of guests who were staying at home and hiding due to the virus, hotels will soon be struggling to convince us that it’s time to return to them. This will be difficult because we will expect to be treated to, among other things, much better sanitation in their rooms. Ruth & I have noticed for years that guest rooms appear to be clean but really aren’t. I have found some shocking stuff under beds and seats. Genuine cleaning and sanitizing of rooms has not been done for years. In hotel rooms we touch lots of things–TV remotes, doorknobs, stuff on tables–that are germ covered from use by previous guests. I especially get viruses on the road that lead to congestion and sneezing, but now viruses can be deadly. How will hotels change?
Traveler Steve Bailey had several good suggestions for better guest treatment in his article. He began by telling about being given a room with only a view of an air shaft through the window. He and his wife were in the city for 4 nights so he went to the front desk to see if they could get a better room, and he was told that rooms are not assigned until the night before guests arrive. The next day they were moved to a room in their price category with a park and city view. I hope it was virus free! He learned to ask if he was getting the best possible room in his price category while checking in.
Why does a hotel room for a couple usually have only 1 chair and 1 luggage rack? Like Steve, Ruth & I have often been in hotel rooms with inadequate counter space in the bathroom. Will now empty hotels find solutions for these problems? How often have you hung some article of clothing on a doorknob because there was no hook in the bathroom? Steve’s other useful tips to hotels were about low safes, TVs that don’t work, and soap and shampoo dispensers. This last one raises a question. Are soap pumps safe to touch or will hotels go back to little bottles like grocery stores have gone back to providing bags that have not been used?
Hank
Security Conscious 