On your first post-pandemic hotel stay, whenever that happens, management will be glad to see you. But don't expect to see the front-desk clerk smile.
Or offer you a cookie. Or invite you to a wine-and-cheese happy hour. You might not even get a room key. And you might be glad about it all.
The coronavirus has turned hotel conventional wisdom on its head. After years of emphasizing the importance of face time and people skills among their "front-of-house" staffers, hotels will be obliged to outfit them with masks (no smiles visible) and turn a spotlight on their housekeeping teams. Many other hotel traditions are threatened as well.
"The buffet could potentially go away for good," said Tamara Mims, president of Four Sisters Inns in Monterey, Calif.
On the other hand, "any customer at any price point is accustomed to some kind of buffet," said Phil Cordell, Hilton's global head of new brand development. "I think it's not dead. I think how it's presented and prepared will likely change in a very long-term way."
Here's a quick look at other changes travelers may encounter. If you'd forgotten that the word "hospitality" has a hospital in it, this might remedy that.
