The New Normal

IN A POST-CORONAVIRUS WORLD, HOTELS WILL JUMPSTART INTO THE FUTURE. IMAGINE CHATBOTS, KEYLESS ROOMS AND INDULGENT WELLNESS RETREATS. ANSHIKA NAGAR REPORTS

- ANSHIKA NAGAR

We’re thinking a little like this: no long check-ins, a Star Trek salute for welcome (we’ll accept namaste too) and no crowded hotels, lobbies and restaurants. Luxury will be a refined concept, automated and cemented in health and hygiene, at least for a good while. The future is technology and isolation in the most sustainable fashion, and the warmth of the ‘human touch’ will become a concept to shy away from.

We aren’t surprised though. Things were slowly moving in this direction long before the pandemic, with trends like ecotourism, remote wellness retreats and optimal privacy already on the rise. Once the travel industry resumes its operations, these trends will only accelerate, no matter the industry’s revival speed.

This change will start at home. Many properties were already leaning towards mobile or app-based check-ins with in-depth questionnaires weeks before arrival. In the future, this may become an exercise for all properties; it would not only minimise human contact, but also reduce the time spent in public. As for keycards, well, brands like Hilton and Chalet Hotels have already been moving towards Bluetooth locks or digital keys that unlock using phone apps.