How Hyatt is Preparing for Post-COVID Stays

Few segments have been spared the dire impact of the coronavirus and the resulting economic meltdown, and fewer still were quite as hard as hospitality. Now that states are beginning to reopen and brands across all segments are strategizing their comebacks, hospitality franchises are investing heavily in adjustments to make customers feel safe.

On Friday, bizjournals.com outlined the ways in which Hyatt, the global hotel franchise, is altering their operations to make facilities safer for customers. Changes include open-air yoga (as opposed to in-studio), masks for all staff, and plexiglass partitions between bartenders and guests at the hotel bar.

Then of course, there’s the cleaning protocol, which Hyatt has developed in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic medical center.

> “Over the past few months we have been intensively engaging with and listening to guests and colleagues, and we are implementing new offerings with their safety and wellbeing in mind. While the most important element of opening our doors is doing it safely, we have gone beyond cleaning to advance care across the entire hotel experience," President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian said in the statement.

The franchise has also pledged to have at least one person trained as a “Hygiene & Wellbeing Leader” at every Hyatt location by July 2020. “That person will check the temperature of all employees before they begin work, as well as making sure the hotel follows operational guidance and protocols.”

Hyatt’s strategy of implementing permanent healthy and safety protocols that will likely persist even after the COVID-19 crisis has been contained reflects a growing sense in the hospitality industry that things will not soon — or ever — be going back to normal. In the weeks ahead, we are likely to see more brands making permanent operational changes that prioritize the health and safety of customers.