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The future of hospitality | Responding to the challenges, seizing the opportunities
Hotels are “sealing” rooms after cleaning, 
putting stickers on doors and doorframes 
to assure guests that no one has been 
in the room since it was cleaned. They’re 
also accelerating plans to replace 
furnishings and surfaces with ones that 
are both easier to clean and perceived 
as clean, such as swapping carpeting for 
luxury vinyl flooring.10 Major hotel chains 
are forming strategic alliances with third 
parties to demonstrate their commitment 
to cleanliness. Hilton is consulting with 
the Mayo Clinic to develop new health 
and safety standards, and partnering with 
Reckitt Benckiser, makers of Lysol, for 
its CleanStay initiative in North America. Four Seasons is collaborating with Johns 
Hopkins Medicine International. Extended 
Stay America is partnering with Procter 
& Gamble, maker of Spic and Span and 
Mr. Clean products, on its own cleaning 
program.11 Some hotels are exploring the 
use of artificial intelligence to pre-screen 
staff and customers though doing so 
could give rise to privacy concerns. And 
some hotels are creating or reformulating 
their signature scents in order to increase 
customers’ perception of cleanliness. Apple readies for reopening by looking for symptoms and 
screening at the door
Bus
inesses in the hospitality industry should also look to retail and other 
sectors for ideas and approaches that could be adapted. Prior to reopening 
its stores, for example, Apple launched a COVID-19 screening app and website 
that allows employees to conduct their own self-assessment to determine 
whether there is any risk in their coming into the workplace. The company is 
also instituting temperature checks at their store doors, doing more frequent 
deep	cleaning,	and	requiring	staff	and	shoppers	to	wear	face	masks. In the gaming sector, 
casinos are reducing 
the number of players 
at gaming tables, 
installing protective 
screens between 
players and staff, 
and cleaning dice and 
chips between each throw. In Macau, one of the first parts 
of the world to reopen casinos, 
tracking players’ previous movements 
and checking their health certification 
is required upon entry, and staff shred 
playing cards after each round. The 
expanded use of private rooms and VIP 
areas is also seen as a way to minimize 
health risks while delivering the same or 
elevated experience patrons expect and 
desire. In Alberta, where casinos were 
allowed to reopen in mid-June, strict 
cleaning protocols and physical 
distancing measures are mandated—
and table games such as roulette and 
blackjack remain prohibited.12
While sports teams have been able to 
prepare for a return to play through 
rigorous team testing protocols to 
monitor and manage players’ health, 
sports venues are likely to be among the 
last to reopen their doors to crowds. Here 
too, organizations will need to rethink a 
host of issues.