Digital menus, robot butlers, elaborate cleaning – hotels gear up against coronavirus as they reopen
- Hospital-grade cleaning technology, ultraviolet decontamination, robots to deliver luggage and meals to rooms – hotels go hi-tech to ward off the coronavirus
- At a hotel in Ireland guests must wear personal protective equipment, but most don’t go that far; as a hotel chain CEO says, ‘people want to feel normal again’
Set in the green hills of Ireland’s County Clare, Dromoland Castle is the type of getaway that never sits empty. Why would it, with a spa tucked behind 16th century walls, a par-72 championship golf course and more stars on travel review sites than in all of Hollywood?
And yet, in the wake of Covid-19, the fairy-tale 180-hectare (450-acre) estate – like many hotels around the world – closed its doors for safety in March. Now, and also like many hotels around the world, Dromoland Castle is preparing to reopen.
Guests booking in for July 3 and beyond will arrive to discover they’ll be expected to socially distance while dining and don personal protective equipment (PPE) like the staff.
While reopening the tourism industry may feel like risky business, hoteliers are pivoting into recovery mode with the help of cutting-edge technologies that can help minimise contamination and human touch points.
“Frankly, it’s as much about keeping the employees safe as it is the guests safe,” says Neil Jacobs, chief executive officer of Six Senses, whose 18-hotel portfolio has installed chemical-free ozone cleaning systems that use electrically charged oxygen molecules to rid the air of bacteria, viruses, and odours. Other hoteliers have been readying their properties for the new normal.