Post-Pandemic Travel: What will Hotels and Airports look like?

During the Coronavirus pandemic, I have spoken to many, many friends who have said they are actually enjoying all the extra time with their spouses and children.  They say that they do not feel “trapped” at home at all.  The extra movie nights and family dinners have been a joy, not a punishment as some would have us believe.  I know people who have expressed a desire to somehow continue their new traditions in the post-pandemic days that we dream of. 

After each major upheaval in life we often say that we will be changed forever.  I suppose we believe it at the time that we say it.  After a war, we say that such tragedy can never be allowed to happen again.  But, there always is another war somewhere. 

As I said, we mean what we say at the time that we say it.  But, ultimately, we humans have very short memories.  When the good times start up again, we forget the darker days pretty easily.  We can be sure that there will be changes in the travel industry and in the travel experience as a result of this pandemic.  Many of them are being implemented now as cities and airports begin to re-open.  Some require a bit more planning and big infrastructure changes by various travel entities and companies so they may still be in the preparation stages.  The one big question on every traveler’s mind is: Which ones, if any, will be permanent?

Remember the days of checking into a hotel room and finding a little paper seal on the toilet that said, “sanitized for your protection.”  This is a visual reminder to hotel guests that management takes sanitation procedures seriously.  Not only is it likely that we will all see this practice return, but some hotels are considering taking it one step further and placing a seal on the hotel room door when housekeeping has completed their cleaning.  This way guests will know that no one has entered the room since housekeeping exited. Some hotel chains are going high-tech with ultraviolet light cleaning and electrostatic sprayers.  But, the guests cannot see this.  So, management is looking for ways to visually remind guests of how conscientious their staff is.

While we can expect rules like allowing only four people in the elevator at one time and removing lounge furniture in lobbies to encourage social distancing to be relatively temporary changes, what about temperature checks?  What’s that?  Some high-end hotels are mulling over the idea of installing thermal cameras to take each guest’s temperature as they enter to detect anyone with a fever.  While this may never be implemented at all, if it is, I think it is likely that this safety measure would remain temporary.  After all, a high body temperature can be a symptom of dozens of illnesses, not just this specific contagious virus.

Check out this article on what steps major hotel chains are taking regarding sanitation.

How will we even get to our destinations?  What will the airport experience be like?

Public places (including airports) had already begun implementing sanitation practices like touch-free faucets and hand dryers years ago.  These will likely stay around permanently and become even more common.  Personally, I find them annoying.  I always feel silly performing the hand jive under the faucet in order to figure out the secret code that will release the water.  Then, when it runs for two seconds and turns off, I have to repeat the silly exercise a second time in order to finish washing.

People who are old enough to remember traveling through airports in the pre-9/11 days will remember strolling to their gate without first passing a security checkpoint.  While, conveyor belts and body scans are here to stay, the little gray bins for your personal items, probably are not.  It is simple enough to place your items directly on the conveyor belt so they can be x-rayed.  Keeping the bins clean, sanitized and replenished would be a futile task.  Eliminating them could be a permanent change without too much difficulty.

Since most airlines have provided private lounges as a reward for their high-ranking frequent fliers for many years, these probably won’t disappear.  I think we can all expect them to change temporarily.  It will likely be for the better, though.  To assist with social distancing goals, airlines will likely remove some percentage of the furniture to give guests more room to roam and spread out.  Hopefully, there will not be a need to limit the number of guests allowed inside at one time.  With flights coming and going all the time, the hope is that guests cycling through the lounges will happen naturally and limits won’t be necessary.

Check out this article on other changes that airports are making. 

Which ones do you think will be permanent?  Have you thought of something that hotel or airport experts haven’t?