Covid19 live blog roundup: Hotel industry rapidly adjusts to ‘new normal’

by | 12 Jun 2020 | General News

New hotels are still being built and existing properties are reopening despite coronavirus.

We summarise updates shared on the TOPHOTELNEWS Covid19 live blog to draw a picture of how the international hotel industry is negotiating the ongoing crisis.
The international hospitality industry has been sent into a tailspin with the sudden onslaught of the coronavirus crisis. From lockdowns to travel bans and border closures, hotels, bars and restaurants are having to navigate more uncertain waters than ever before.
TOPHOTELPROJECTS has been tracking in real time the developments within the industry as it reacts to the continuing crisis, and we recap some of the recent activity that has been happening around the world in response to the pandemic, focusing on positive developments in particular.

Developments reach the finish line despite Covid19

While it is true that the Covid19 crisis largely stopped the hospitality world in its tracks, some parts of the industry have resumed much more quickly than others. Construction was considered a key sector in the recovery plans of many countries and, although hotel development may have stalled briefly as lockdowns were enforced, many teams were able to get back onsite relatively rapidly, enabling countless builds, renovations and restorations to complete in recent weeks.
In the US, for example, the renovation and rebranding of Courtyard San Francisco Downtown has reached its conclusion, while the renovation of Sheraton Denver Downtown has also completed. In a similar vein, Little Palm Island Resort and Spa in Florida has now concluded renovation works, and the hotel is already back open and operational.

Hotels are back in business

With the immediate threat of coronavirus seemingly receding in many developed economies, lots of hotels are beginning to open and reopen their doors around the world.
Many countries are past the initial stages of reopening, and the US in particular has seen a rapid resumption of ‘normal’ activity. Europe too has been taking steps towards recovery, with Spain and Italy pushing for foreign tourists to once again revisit their shores.
This is all good news for those working in hospitality, provided they can earn the trust of customers who are understandably nervous about what the future might bring.
In terms of specific projects, Home2 Suites by Hilton Southeast Fort Jackson in South Carolina is now open and welcoming guests, and Sheraton Phoenix Downtown has announced it will open in August 2020. Meanwhile, Hotel Tavinos in Taito City, Tokyo has changed its opening date to mid-July.
Copenhagen is also getting in on the act, with the opening of the new Zleep Hotel Copenhagen Arena, a 211-key property owned by Deutsche Hospitality. Elsewhere, Galgorm Golf and Spa Resort in Northern Ireland is set to open its doors once again at the end of July, while the 124-key TownePlace Suites Hotel by Marriott Panama City Beach is already back up and running again.
Good news too for NH Hotels, which has announced plans to reopen 200 of its 360 hotels in June. And lest we forget, Disney has submitted plans to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force in Florida to undertake a phased reopening of Walt Disney World Resort theme parks from 11 July.