Earlier this week we got some idea about what a theme park reopening in Florida could look like, and while all eyes may be on Disney and Universal parks to see what kind of social distancing measures are introduced in the parks, there’s another component of the theme park resort experience that could change drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic: hotel stays. From touchless check-in to reduced housekeeping, if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of guests every year that book a stay in a hotel while visiting a theme park, here’s how your next visit could be VERY different.
No more in-person check in at the front desk
One of the biggest changes we could see when hotels reopen is one that guests will notice as soon as they arrive at a hotel: no more physical check in. Though mobile check-in has been an option for several years now at Disney resorts, it looks like this type of check in will now be the only option, as guests with reservations have seen notifications in My Disney Experience app that say online check-in is now required instead of optional.
And though this change is fairly easy for Disney to implement, we’d imagine that all other hotels will be working hard in the coming weeks to implement a similar digital-only check in to comply with the new recommendations posted by Orange County’s Economic Recovery Task Force. And that’s not the only change this group is proposing for hotel stays in the near future.
Minimal housekeeping will be offered to guests during their stay
In an effort to minimize contact between guests and staff, the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force is recommending that daily housekeeping services at all hotels be discontinued, with cleaning only happening after guests check out or by special request. In addition, all in-room service items (cups, silverware, etc.) will be removed from rooms so that housekeeping staff doesn’t have to worry about replacing or cleaning these items.
Protecting staff and guests with masks, barriers, temperature checks and sanitizer
In addition to minimizing housekeeping services, there are several additional recommended safeguards for staff, including requiring hotel employees to wear face masks and take temperature checks prior to their shifts, similar to what has been proposed for inside theme parks. In addition, front desks are being asked to install sneeze guards to create a barrier between themselves and guests, and hand sanitizer is to be made available at all entry points.
Like with the recent theme park reopening recommendations, these new measures are simply being proposed right now, and nothing has been set in stone. However, most of these measures seem fairly commonsense, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them put into practice by theme park hotels in the very near future as hotels begin accepting guests again.
As always, while this situation is evolving, all theme park fans should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
Theme Park Tourist COVID-19 Complete Coverage: Initial Government Guidelines for Reopening Theme Parks Released I Every Major Theme Park Project Now Officially Cancelled, Delayed or Slimmed Down (April 28, 2020) I Here’s How Much Financial Trouble Your Favorite Theme Parks Are In I Rumor: Voyage of the Little Mermaid Never Reopening I What About Water Parks? Typhoon Lagoon, Volcano Bay and More Could be Closed for Much Longer Than Theme Parks
