There is no denying that COVID has changed life as we know it. Standing at the beginning of 2022, it now feels strange to not wear a mask or carry a bottle of hand sanitiser.

The last time industries saw such major changes in processes was the airline industry after the 9/11 attacks. Remember the security checks at airports before 9/11? For the younger generations, strict airport security processes are a usual part of life. However, there was a time when family and friends could accompany the passengers up to the gate. What’s more, passengers could carry any sharp objects, including knives and box cutters, in the cabin. Following a few more attempted terrorist attacks, shoes had to be removed for screening, and a limit for liquids carried in cabin luggage was imposed.

All these changes are now a part of everyday life. It’s now common practice for passengers to get to the airport at least two hours before departure time to complete the screening processes.

A few years from now, the processes set in by COVID will also become a normal part of our lives. While the stricter restrictions will fade away, a few pandemic trends will solidify into long-lasting industry changes.

Contactless solutions will become an absolute need

While contactless technology has been around for several years before the pandemic, the adoption rate of this technology skyrocketed after COVID. With 45% of customers strongly agreeing that they would be more likely to stay at a hotel with technology that reduces physical contact with the staff, hotels pushed to incorporate this tech.

As the new normal forms into shape, contactless and digital guest journeys will become mandatory. Guests will require more control of their journey through digital services along with the convenience offered through services at their fingertips. Guests are now used to seamless check-in/outs and in-house service requesting through digital platforms, and will expect these process improvements to continue into the future. In fact, McKinsey noted that contactless technologies like online/kiosk check-in, guest messaging, keyless entry, online F&B ordering, and workflow/staff collaboration tools would exist in the next normal.

Large open spaces will have more appeal

Following the contamination risks posed by physical contact, guests are more likely to avoid small, cramped spaces. Add to this the long weeks of lockdowns and quarantines, and the growing love for large open spaces becomes hardly surprising. Moreover, hospitality organisations now have to focus on creating “easy to clean” hotel spaces. If your organisation is thinking of redesigning, opt for hygienic surface designs with excellent ventilations. Keep in mind that not only do spaces have to be open and hygiene, they have to look ventilated and clean as well in order to establish guest confidence.

Incorporating real indoor plants, adding large open windows and skylights will help make a space seem more “breathable”. Adding shades of blue, green, or other earthy tones to such spaces will create a sense of calm with an aesthetic appeal as well. Also, hotels and restaurants can convert their outdoor spaces into outdoor dining areas, rooftop bars, and outdoor lounges. Furniture placement and floor pathways will automatically direct traffic, allowing guests to walk in a space without physically contacting other guests.

Bleisure travel will increase

Bleisure travellers combine business travel with personal leisure travel, usually extending their weekly travel to the weekend to unwind. They sometimes travel with a companion who is not connected to their business. According to Forbes, 10% of all business trips are bleisure trips, and Statista predicts overall business travel to increase year on year, marking a rise in bleisure travel.

For hotels, bleisure travellers bring in more considerations and opportunities for hotels. In order to provide a more personalised experience for these travellers, consider if all guests travelling together would be working during the week. If not, hoteliers can recommend a few solo leisure activities for the non-working guests. Also, bleisure travellers would prefer relaxing activities on weekday evenings, opting for more adventurous activities during the weekend.

Buffets may disappear

At the height of the pandemic, most countries prohibited buffet services at all hotels and restaurants. While these restrictions have now gradually been lifted, customers may not be as enthused at returning to the practice. This is because buffets pose many risks that people have been trained to be cautious of during the past two years. They create a common touchpoint area with shared spoons and other utensils. Also, buffet areas cannot always accommodate proper social distancing, leading to crowding within the premises.

BBC noted that following the pandemic, most global hotel chains halted breakfast buffets altogether, providing packaged foods at buffet stations or offering room service collected from a drop-off location instead. Other establishments have banned customers from serving themselves and require customers to wear masks in the serving areas. This suggests that moving forward, the breakfast and dinner buffets in hotels will have to either be scratched out entirely or significantly remodelled.

Trust building will be prioritised

Just as it was with the 9/11 incident, the hospitality industry must work with governments and other industries and organisations to re-establish customer confidence. Simply taking steps to ensure hygiene and safety will not be sufficient if customers have no way of seeing these changes. The challenge is to convince customers that the industry is in-line with the new normal and is implementing steps to create safe guest journeys.

The pandemic led people to consult credible public organisations instead of private organisations for reliable information regarding safe practices and locations. Research by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 10% of people trust the guidelines of private businesses. This means that it will be more effective to have a certification from a reliable external body, like a health organisation or a government rating, than simply stating an establishment’s safety measures on a website. Hospitality organisations could also cite credible sources in their safety policies to build trust.

Just as passengers today would be sceptical of, if not downright rejecting, an airline that allows sharp objects in the cabin, guests this year and the coming years would not pick a hotel that does not follow the changes set in by COVID. The pandemic has inevitably changed hospitality as we know it, and we need to learn to live and play with it.

About IDS Next

Founded in 1987, IDS Next became India's largest hotel software company in its first decade of operations and Asia's largest in 2009.

Today, IDS Next is the leading provider of smart hotel software across Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania, serving over 6,000 customers in 45 countries with $10 million in daily transactions and 300,000 daily check-ins.

With the goal to redefine the way hotels operate through smart software solutions, IDS Next has been a trusted technology partner and preferred supplier to the international hospitality industry.

From contactless check-in, front desk, guest request and housekeeping management to payroll, finance, inventory management and procurement, IDS Next's award-winning software automates and streamlines front and back-office hotel operations, making sure all departments are covered.

With an open API approach, IDS Next integrates with over 100 of the world's leading, best-in-breed technology partners to ensure hotel operations run smoothly and securely to complement a hotel's existing systems and solutions.

Available in single modules and as an all-in-one solution, IDS Next's smart hotel software is designed by hoteliers for hoteliers through the company's in-house development team comprising 135 hospitality technology professionals and supported 24/7 by 90 customer services agents in 30 languages.

With all software PA DSS certified, front-of-house solutions GDPR compliant, and the business ISO 27001 certified, IDS Next's smart software solutions are accredited, certified, and compliant with the industry's most stringent standards for data protection and security.