4 Tips for staying in a hotel

With eyes toward safety and risk mitigation

As countries begin to reopen, you may be tempted to formulate future vacation plans. Unfortunately, the pandemic is far from over. But if you still decide to go on that over night trip or weekend getaway, you will want to take as many safety precautions as possible. Here are some tips on how to protect yourself if you are to check into a hotel anytime soon:

1. Do your research

Before you book a hotel, research about the hotel’s plan to protect guests and staff. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You have to find out what the hotel is doing to ensure the wellbeing of guests. Such as are masks compulsory in public areas? Will the hotel provide masks for guests if they don’t have them? Do they have plans for guests who fall ill? How often do they sanitise public areas? Are check-in contactless? In addition, you should also research on the nearest medical centre or hospital in case anything
happens.

2. Ask for a room that has not been occupied for 3 days

Why? It is because coronavirus can live on surfaces like plastic or steel up to 72 hours. So for safety reasons, you should ask for a room that has been vacant for at least 3 days, and these 3 days also allow proper cleaning to be done.

3. Wear a mask

You have probably heard this over and over again, but it’s important. So we’ll say it again, wear a mask at anytime in public areas, and better to stay at least six feet away from other guests even in the elevator. Since we are still in the midst of a pandemic, it is important that we cover our faces and practice social distancing, and make sure to pack extra face masks and hand sanitisers.

4. Sanitise upon arrival

As we have established, coronavirus could stay on surfaces for up to 3 days. Now I am not asking you to wipe down the entire room, this is the cleaning staff ’s job. But it does not hurt to double down on high-touch areas like the doorknobs, light switches, remote controls, counters, and handles.

Are you still thinking of going for a weekend getaway or that summer sojourn? Ultimately, you could do everything on this list but staying in a hotel is still a calculated risk. So remember to weigh not only your own vulnerability, but also the people around you. Always better safe than sorry.