The efforts of hoteliers around cleanliness are a mark of how seriously they are taking the pandemic, according to a senior executive in the industry.
While there is no ranking or rating system for hygiene and cleanliness, as pointed out by Michael Levie, chief operating officer, CitizenM, he believes there are tell-tale signs for who is putting in the time and money.
Speaking during a recent Skyscanner webinar, entitled Travel Confident, Levie says: “Hotels never gave this two thoughts prior to the pandemic. Now, a star rating gives us an idea of luxury and we assume everything comes along with that but there are people that really take things to heart and those that do it just because they have to.
“Cleanliness is one of those things that you need to spend time and money to get it accomplish. There are giveaways for guests to see if it is being taken seriously.”
Touching on some of the measures CitizenM has put in place, including a new app, he says it’s a “two-way street” and that travelers need to inform themselves on measures taken by hotels and ensure they are abiding by local restrictions.
His comments are echoed by Tom Hall, Lonely Planet, who says visitors to a destination need to be going the “extra mile” in complying in regulations.
“Whether it’s masks or other behavior that feels like a new condition of being a good guest.”
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Skyscanner says it is trying to help travelers and instil confidence by providing a cleanliness score of its own, which is based on ratings.
Jess Castillian, global lifecycle manager for Skyscanner, says the company has also added filters on the platform to highlight elements such as free cancellation policies.
The panel was also asked about trends going forward with an increase in the use of digital technologies highlighed.
Levie believes travel will come back because people have short memories but that digital will change travel. He also believes there will be benefits for the environment.
“It will impact positively on the environment, people are convinced we have to and requirements will be more stringent because we have to live up to preserving the environment.”
* The full webinar is available to watch here.