Travel Tips for the Pandemic Weary
It has been a much longer battle with Covid than anyone expected. The pandemic has affected many industries. Hotels have not been immune to the various shortages plaguing the economy. I discovered this while looking for a hotel to attend my friend’s New Year’s Eve wedding. The common thread among various hotel reviews was the lack of upkeep due to many properties being short-staffed. It seems the hotel industry has suffered labor shortages as well and employees calling in sick after catching Covid tightens the strain. With the border reopening some weeks prior to the wedding, I thought the reintroduction of migrant labor would ease some of this. Unfortunately, it will take some time for companies to hire the right people and get them trained. For the time being, travelers will need to be prepared for the unexpected.
- Read the reviews
See what the common misgivings are at each location to decide for yourself if you can deal with it. Some hotels have reduced amenities due to Covid, so full breakfast bars have been replaced with some individually wrapped food items to grab on the go. I don’t know if this was a Covid workaround or not, but something I’ve never seen before was that they had a dedicated food delivery drop-off table at my hotel for services like Uber Eats and Postmates to drop off their deliveries for guests. You can call your hotel to ask if that’s available because it wasn’t advertised. Some hotels have closed pools due to chlorine shortages and limited staff. Some hotels have really let maintenance go by the wayside amidst these challenges, so guests complain about issues from the milder “things are broken”, to the grosser “showers are grimey.” I know that all hotels are doing the best they can, but expect that things will slip up because of all of these economic challenges. Just bring your patience and your smile, and people will feel your kindness through your mask.
- Look at Covid protocols
Some booking websites have dedicated Covid sections that list hotel policies on social distancing, masks, and extra sanitization practices. Some properties even wait a full 24 hours after the last use before each room is checked out to another guest. Many offer contactless check-ins and check-outs, but you may have to call to arrange it or download an app to do it. See if the protocols fit your health needs before deciding to book.
- Pay for the best hotel you can afford
When I was picking a hotel, I learned after reviewing a lot of comments that now is not the time to be frugal. In normal times when everything was flourishing and the world was abuzz, it was okay to look for cheaper hotels. But during these challenging times, I decided to pick a large hotel chain because they have better clout to maintain basic things, like sanitation, compared to boutique hotels of the mom-and-pop variety. Just don’t forget that resorts and more expensive hotels will have extra fees for things like parking, internet, and fancy facilities.
- Pack light and make time
One shoulder bag and one rolling bag was enough to keep my hands free to frequently sanitize and moisturize. It’s hard enough running routine errands with a mask on, but it’s really difficult hauling luggage with a mask. The lighter your haul, the easier your trip will be. One thing that helped was to give myself plenty of time to slowly get to where I needed to go, so I didn’t have to power walk through a large property mask-on, which left me winded quickly.
- Don’t leave home without:
-Shower shoes. Don’t forget them like I did and then end up with a weeks-long skin infection after using the gross shower. I am forever traumatized. It’s been one full nightmare of a fortnight (and a half). With the chlorine shortages and labor shortages, take no chances, resort or not, because maintenance is expected to be spotty until supply chains fully recover. There will be a domino effect of industries hiring the right folks and training them up the entire supply chain. I’m guessing that will take 2 years?
-Extra masks and hand sanitizer, in case you lose one (or a few). Or for an enclosed wedding situation where you wanted to switch masks in between locations because omicron spreads like wildfire and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
-Antibacterial wipes because the one complimentary wipe provided by the hotel is not enough.
-Good moisturizer. Our skin is our first line of defense, and happy skin will better defend against germs.
-Gloves. I packed a pair of disposable gloves to do my Covid test before heading home.
-BYOB. Pack your own vial of bleach/vinegar to sanitize your shower shoes and other items after use.
bettytrinh 