8 The future of hospitality | Responding to the challenges, seizing the opportunities SafeEntry helps keep Singapore’s hospitality sector and customers safe In Singapore, customers use the SafeEntry smartphone app to scan a QR code before they enter any restaurant, hotel, or other venue. The app creates a digital diary of each customer’s travels and visited locations to support Singapore’s contact- tracing efforts. Reimagine the customer experience for a COVID-19 world The pandemic has fundamentally changed the customer experience, and it’s likely to stay this way until the virus fades, populations achieve herd immunity, or a vaccine is discovered. Companies have no choice but to reimagine the customer experience for the realities of this new normal. Make the physical environment as clean and stress-free as possible As the hospitality sector reopens for business, organizations must do all they can to not only provide a clean space for customers but also one that alleviates their health-related worries. Authorities will continue to require businesses to adhere to certain guidelines, but it’s incumbent on the organizations to implement those rules in a way that both fits their business and takes away as little as possible from the customer experience. All hospitality organizations will want to adopt rigorous, frequent cleaning and sanitation protocols and require the use of masks in public areas. Research by OpenTable found that 72 percent of US respondents said it’s extremely important to see strict cleaning policies in place at the establishments they visit, and 60 percent said it’s extremely important to visit places that aren’t crowded with other people.8 Businesses welcoming especially large numbers of people will likely want to introduce temperature checks at entry or before service, and possibly track-and- trace measures. Other actions may vary depending on the nature of the business.