Covid19 live blog roundup: Hotels forge ahead while virus threat continues

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 are having to navigate more uncertain waters than ever before.

Our team has been tracking in real-time how the industry is reacting to the continuing crisis, and here we recap some of the recent activity around the world, focusing on positive developments in particular.

Plenty of reopenings to celebrate

As this tumultuous year draws to its close, the international hospitality industry can perhaps take solace in the fact that hotels around the world continue to reopen in the third quarter, with more set to follow in the final three months of 2020. The Steigenberger Hotel Stadt Lörrach is open once again, and has even announced the appointment of Olga Zielinski as its general manager, effective from 18 September. And the Gale hotel in Miami will reopen in October, promoting contactless services as part of its offering.

Jeddah’s first Radisson Park Inn opened this month too, and will shortly be joined by more Radisson properties across Saudi Arabia. In addition, Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach will reopen after an extensive renovation this month, and CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa opens again soon after having taken advantage of the lockdown to reinvent its wellness programme.

Meanwhile, Club Med will celebrate the reopening of all of its properties in October, something to look forward to for its loyal clientele.

Safety certicates, Zoom meetings and more

The rapid news cycle remains as relentless as ever amid the pandemic, and there have been a host of recent developments to take stock of. French hotel giant Accor, for example, announced that all of its reopened hotels in Europe have been certified ‘Safe’ in collaboration with Bureau Veritas Group. Meanwhile, Radisson continues to plough full steam ahead with its Radisson Hybrid Meetings initiative, which organises online meetings via Zoom.

Elsewhere, Horwath HTL India’s report, entitled India Hotel Market Review: H1 2020, reveals that demand declined by almost 50% in the midscale, upscale and luxury segments from March to June. But there was better news from Singapore, as it was reported that tourism would be reactivated from 18 September.

Last but not least, the World Tourism and Travel Council has asked for ‘air corridors’ to be put in place between major industrial cities to encourage international tourism – something that would no doubt be welcomed by countless hotels globally.