Chains aim to boost confidence in cleanliness during coronavirus pandemic Hotel chains are performing a precarious budget balancing act as they scrap amenities to pay for more cleaning to rebuild consumer confidence shaken by the coronavirus pandemic and reverse steep declines in stays.
Many—including franchise-run chains—are cutting amenities such as daily housekeeping visits, hot breakfast buffets and even complimentary soaps and lotions.
The moves may help defray the costs of sanitizers, protective face masks and antiviral cleaning devices for individual hotel owners. “Lysol is the new luxury," said Chekitan Dev, a professor in the hospitality school at Cornell University.