The coronavirus has fast forward changes in many industries, and sadly left a great number of people without a job. Hotels have been hit particularly hard, like the rest of the tourism industry. Now, some of them are inserting different high-tech gadgets in their establishments to abide to stringent regulations as some regions around the world are reopening their doors to tourists.
Now is a Good Time to Travel For those who could not wait to get on a plane again, and go out into the world, now is a good time for tourism. Many countries are announcing various promotions and rebates to attract them. It is the case with Greece where hotels are slashing the price of their room by up to 40%. For example, a one week stay in a hotel in Rhodes could cost you as little as 12 euros per person/per night. In Singapore, the hotels have started offering Staycation packages which include different perks and a guarantee of high safety measures, which are slowly becoming a part of the “new normal” after the coronavirus crisis.
Hotels Look to Be Immaculately Clean
It would seem like the theory in vogue today, is that the hotel of tomorrow will be immaculate. To do so, all around the world establishments are turning to a variety of new tech, one of these being the robot butler that can be found inside the hotel chain Yotel. The goal with the new arrivals is that they can meet customers’ expectations regarding cleanliness as well as the very strict regulations put in place by many governments around the world, following the coronavirus health crisis.
Does that mean butlers are bound to disappear? Not a chance. The truth is there are more butlers inside the workforce today than there ever were previously, and the demand keeps rising. During the COVID-19 period, some families with butlers even asked them to remain in their house throughout the lockdown period. Martha Stewart was a very public example as she confirmed asking all her household staff to stay with her for the whole ordeal. If you are looking for work in that field, here is a job board you can look into.
Hotels Try to Combat the Coronavirus
In hotels, the newly appointed robot butlers are actually there to deliver luggage to the room and for small housekeeping tasks. When you first come into contact with them, they remind you of the Star Wars robot R2-D2 and they definitely send you straight into the décor of a science-fiction movie. But what people don’t know, is that they have been active since 2018, so they won’t replace butlers on a large scale and should not do so either in the near future.
But regarding the protection against the coronavirus, hotels have not just brought in robot butlers as high tech tools. One hotel in East Hampton hamlet Amagansett bought UV sterilizer machines that clients can keep in their room to sterilize objects like hotel keys, phones and other items touched by the personnel of the hotel. Others have equipped the cleaning personnel with decontamination foggers as well as hospital-grade electrostatic sprays. There is even a hotel chain that has replaced the air-conditioning controller with a mobile app that people can use on their phone.
Welcome to the post-COVID-19 world!
