How hotels, Airbnbs work to keep travelers safe during coronavirus pandemic
The pandemic lockdowns began about eight months ago and if you havenโt taken a getaway, you may be eager at this point. Sheโs an infectious disease doctor at the Mayo Clinic, which advised Hilton on its coronavirus cleaning and disinfection protocols. โPersonal safety is essential as weโre reopening our society and reopening our businesses and industry,โ Dr. Rizza says. Dr. Rizza says you should check a hotelโs website to make sure its cleaning procedures are clearly spelled out. She says you donโt need to bring anything into a hotel room.
Less than 40% of US hotels have brought back half of furloughed staff, new survey shows
A survey conducted by the industry association that represents all of the U.S. lodging industry shows that 36% of hotels have not yet brought back any of their furloughed or laid off staff to full-time employment. Nearly 87% hotels furloughed employees due to COVID-19 travel impacts, according to the AHLA. The industry group is asking Congress to provide relief for the tourism industry and the workers impacted. โItโs hard to overstate just how devastating the pandemic has been for the hotel industry. Orlando-based Rosen Hotels and Resorts announced โsubstantialโ layoffs in July across multiple locations due to the global pandemic.
Coronavirus: Hilton, American Express offer 1 million rooms to health care workers
Hilton and American Express are teaming up to offer up to 1 million hotel room nights for free to front-line health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The rooms would give the workers a place to sleep, recharge or isolate to protect their families so money wonโt come out of their own pockets. Hilton is working with 10 U.S. medical associations to provide rooms to doctors, nurses, EMT's, paramedics and other medical professionals. American Express is helping cover the cost of the hotel room donations. To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6โฒs coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.
Orlando named most wallet friendly destination by Kayak
According to Kayakโs 2020 Travel Hacker Guide, Orlando was ranked No. 1 for affordable trip destinations, averaging 47% less than the average North American trip cost. Wekiwa Springs and the Orlando Science Center were mentioned as fun, affordable alternatives to the various theme parks tourists usually visit. If you want to plan ahead, the guide listed January as the cheapest month for flight travel with prices averaging $149 and hotel prices averaging $166. Kayak "defined a โtripโ as โa round-trip flight + 3-night hotel stay,โ the travel guide methodology section said.