Hotels provide complimentary healthcare, on-demand doctors, and other Covid-19 safety features

Before the Covid-19 era, hotels enticed guests with perks like free breakfasts, happy hours, and yoga classes at the spa.

The world has shifted significantly since those days. As people slowly emerge from their homes and Airbnbs – escaping their stockpiled toilet paper, sourdough starter kits, and new pets – and even begin flying again, the travel industry is adapting to the new reality.

Many hotels are following CDC and EPA guidelines, including frequent cleaning, air filtration, contactless check-in, and reduced guest numbers. Others are using this moment to innovate, exploring fresh ways to ensure guests feel both safe and pampered, from luxurious to quirky.

In this new normal, concierges are more focused on arranging virus tests than restaurant reservations. Sleep masks have been replaced by mandatory face coverings, and floral pillow sprays have given way to artisanal hand sanitizers.

Discover a range of revamped (once unthinkable) hotel services designed for the new (kind of) normal:

The doctor is available

Acknowledging the need for guests to feel safe, even in the worst-case scenarios, many hotels around the globe are introducing medical care as a new luxury service.

At the Oscar de la Renta-designed Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in the Dominican Republic, guests (who must present proof of a negative Covid test) are guaranteed access to an on-site hospital, with an entire floor reserved exclusively for hotel visitors.

Thanks to a collaboration with ‘leading hospitals,’ guests staying over five nights at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai can schedule free PCR testing, with the staff handling all the details while visitors enjoy their stay.

While once a luxury car service or fitness center might have been the big appeal, Montage Hotels now offers a customized healthcare experience through One Medical. Guests can book virtual doctor consultations during their stay, plus access for an entire month after they leave.

Club Med resorts around the world are redefining the concept of an 'all-inclusive vacation.' Through April 2021, these resorts will cover all Covid-19-related emergency medical expenses during guests’ stays, including lab tests, transportation, accommodations for companions, and even childcare.

Touch and go

In an ideal world, the goal is to stay healthy. To help prevent illness, many properties are reducing physical contact – not just with staff and other guests, but also with shared items.

At Garden of the Gods Resort and Club in Colorado Springs, traditional caddies and golf carts have been replaced by the innovative Tempo Walk tech – a hands-free, self-driving caddie equipped with GPS yardage and space for a cooler filled with untouched beverages.

At the brand-new Villa Copenhagen, which opened in a century-old Danish post office on July 1 under the Preferred Hotels & Resorts umbrella, keyless entry and remote check-in are available (now a common feature), and each room’s TV displays QR codes for new guests to scan and use their smartphones as remote controls.

At The Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois, guests are reassured that they are the first to touch any object. To ease concerns, the hotel is personalizing in-room canvas laundry bags and disposable room service menus by printing guests' names on them.

Keeping things clean

While it may not be possible to live in a complete bubble, certain shared surfaces must still be touched. As a result, hotels are stepping up their cleaning and sanitizing efforts, offering peace of mind to anyone who’s ever seen a black-light expose on hotel linens.

In addition to regular cleaning with strong disinfectants, many properties have installed stylish, branded hand sanitizer stations at the entrances to their public spaces.

Some hotels are also turning to high-tech solutions to maintain a sterile environment.

At The Roundtree Amagansett, a new boutique 15-room farm-inspired property in the Hamptons, they've introduced Upang UV sterilizers, medical-grade devices that eliminate 99.9% of germs and bacteria.

The historic Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, famously known for hosting the Golden Globes, has introduced hospital-approved UV Xenex LightStrike Robots to 'zap' germs throughout the hotel and guest rooms for 8 to 10 minutes after the housekeeper has cleaned and vacated.

While temperature checks at the door have become standard, The Cape, a Thompson Hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico, is taking it a step further with a full-body sanitation station at the entrance.

As guests walk through, the station sprays a non-staining mist from head to toe – think of it as a trendy human car wash. The hotel also provides sanitizer stations, QR codes for menus across the property, and a small in-room package with masks and sanitizers.

However, Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur is embracing innovation without relying on gadgets: True to their natural, wellness-focused ethos, they are the first U.S. property to implement a technology called 'Premium Purity.'

The cleaning process is eco-friendly and non-toxic, avoiding the use of traditional ammonia or bleach-based chemicals.

A proprietary substance is applied to light-exposed indoor surfaces, making those surfaces and the surrounding air self-disinfecting and antimicrobial through photocatalysis for up to 12 months. The second step involves a daily application of an EPA-approved, electrically charged disinfectant.

You're all set!

The pandemic isn't preventing hotels from offering curated gifts. Instead of the usual fruit plates or beach bags, properties like The Bristol Hotel in Virginia are gifting exclusive face masks, designed in collaboration with L.C. King, America's oldest denim factory, to match the hotel's decor.

While some hotels stick to traditional gift baskets, swapping eye masks and hand creams for locally crafted cleaning products and sanitizers, Nobu Ryokan Malibu offers guests branded thermometer stands and kits filled with masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.

At The Confidante Miami Beach, visitors are greeted with locally made coconut-scented hand sanitizers featuring custom labels by local artists, found at stations throughout the property, as well as face masks designed by the same artists.

I believe we’re on our own now.

Another strategy to reduce the spread of infection is to avoid crowds.

The Resort at Paws Up in Montana offers the luxury of vast open spaces, with 37,000 acres of untouched land and over 100 hiking trails. Now, they've taken privacy a step further by offering socially distanced airport transfers. Instead of riding in a shared van, guests are greeted by a 'Welcome Wrangler' who assists with luggage and directions, while arranging for a Lexus to be waiting at the baggage claim so guests can drive themselves to the ranch.

At Ocean House in Rhode Island, the traditional bar happy hour has been reimagined with a 'BarMobile' experience. An expert mixologist pushes a 'Ferrari-red' bar cart from room to room, crafting specialty cocktails and serving complimentary canapés, allowing guests to enjoy a private drink service in the comfort of their own space.

The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village in Florida has taken the concept of in-room refreshments to a whole new level. With their innovative 'Fridge Fill' program, guests can bypass restaurants and grocery stores, having their refrigerators and pantries pre-stocked with ready-to-eat meals, groceries, ingredient kits with recipes, and much more before they even arrive.

While most people will eventually venture out, visitors to Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach will appreciate the hotel's new social distancing ambassadors. These staff members are stationed throughout the property to ensure guests maintain a safe 6-foot distance and help manage the number of people in the pool area.

Still hesitant? At Hoshino Resorts, a renowned Japanese hospitality brand, guests can download an app to track real-time occupancy of public spaces around the property, helping them avoid crowded areas before heading out.

The Inns of Aurora in New York’s Finger Lakes offers a unique experience by providing guests with private archery lessons.

Many resorts are encouraging guests to embrace the outdoors, where the risk of transmission is lower and fresh air is abundant.

The Inns of Aurora in upstate New York has developed a five-mile trail system where guests can also enjoy private archery and fishing lessons with their newly appointed 'Outdoorsman' guide.

At Round Hill in Jamaica, a newly constructed jogging path with various workout stations has been added to help spread out guests and reduce the crowding in the gym.

Resorts are expanding dining experiences by taking restaurant services outdoors, offering guests a safer way to enjoy meals in the open air.

At Chatham Bars Inn in Cape Cod, guests have the freedom to arrange private dining experiences by the seaside, on the lawn, in their rooms – anywhere their imagination takes them.

The Grand Hyatt Vail in Colorado has introduced a new food truck, complete with outdoor yoga sessions for guests to enjoy.

Ventana Big Sur now offers a socially distanced glamping experience on their sprawling 20-acre campground, featuring picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, a fire pit, and the option to indulge in s’mores and drinks from a nearby Airstream trailer.

At Sonoma's Farmhouse Inn, guests can enjoy a variety of experiences, from a new food truck and poolside pop-up cocktail bar to a 'Fireside Nightcap' menu and Michelin-starred tasting menus available in-room.

Home suite home

If all this has you dreaming of a long-term getaway, you're in luck: As more people work and study remotely, hotels are offering extended stay deals. Rather than typical three-day weekend packages, properties like Ireland's Dromoland Castle, Jamaica's Goldeneye, and Nantucket's White Elephant are now promoting rates for 30-day stays.

Some destinations are meeting the needs of remote workers by providing the right infrastructure. Monarch Beach Resort in Orange County, California, has set up dedicated remote offices for guests.

In a unique partnership, Auberge Resorts has teamed up with Advantage Testing, a company offering tutoring and nanny services for families.

The Hamilton Hotel in Washington, DC, is taking the concept of flexible workspaces to a new level. Acknowledging that traditional co-working spaces are less practical, they are now offering hotel rooms as temporary offices from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (checkout time!). These rooms come equipped with high-speed WiFi, a Keurig coffee maker, access to Press Reader (a digital library of publications), and room service or delivery options—providing a refreshing alternative to the usual office setting.

Troutbeck, nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley, is tapping into its storied past as a haven for intellectuals and creatives like Mark Twain and Henry David Thoreau. The property now offers guests work desks in an art-filled gallery with task chairs, blotters, and locally crafted Dumais Made lamps. Plus, the new HEPA and UV filtration system helps purify the air, removing over 97% of airborne contaminants.