Published on November 15th, 2020 | by Mark Chesnut
0How do Mexico Hotels Compare to U.S. Hotels During the Pandemic?
One way or another, every segment of the travel industry has responded to the coronavirus pandemic. But you can’t expect the exact same hygiene protocols with every hotel, even within the same brand. That was a lesson that I learned during a recent trip, and it led me to conduct a survey that provides interesting insight into how U.S. hotels differ from Mexico hotels when it comes to travel during the pandemic. You may be surprised by the results.
The idea for this article occurred during my trip home from Los Cabos to New York City. Limited flight availability meant I had to stay overnight at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Rather than sleeping on the terminal floor, I used credits from the Hotels.com loyalty program to book a room at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport. It was my first time staying at a hotel in the United States during the pandemic, and I was surprised by how different it was, compared to the multiple hotels where I’d stayed in four different destinations in Mexico.
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To get an idea about my experience at my first U.S. hotel during the pandemic, check out my video tour of the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport, and you can also get a walk-through roundup of hygiene protocols and a video tour of my most recent Mexico hotel stay, at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.
Here’s the main takeaway from my research and experiences: hotels in Mexico appear to be doing more regarding health and hygiene protocols than their counterparts in the United States. This was backed up by survey results (which was based on visits within the past 30 days; check out the U.S. hotel survey results here) as well as my personal experience staying at hotels in both countries. A few examples:
• According to the survey, only 26.3% of respondents had their temperature checked upon arrival at hotels in the United States. One hundred percent of respondents visiting Mexican hotels had their temperature checked.
• Only 40% of respondents staying at U.S. hotels found free antibacterial wipes and/or other hygiene items left by the hotel for free in their guest room. More than 75% in Mexico found such material provided for their use in the room.
• A minuscule 13.2% of people staying at U.S. hotels in the last 30 days found a sanitizing doormat at the entrance to the hotel. More than 90% of hotels in Mexico have the doormats, according to results.
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What’s also interesting is that even hotel chains that operate both in Mexico and the United States apparently approach the hygiene protocol issue differently, based on which country they’re operating in. That inconsistency makes for a rather unpredictable experience for hotel guests, since they may get extra wipes and a temperature check at one hotel in the chain, yet neither at another property that belongs to the same brand. Such was the case in my own personal experience, for example, when I stayed at two hotels affiliated with the same brand. The one in Mexico gave me all of the features mentioned above (as well as extra face masks and hand sanitizer in my room), but the other one didn’t.
Some hotels go even further; at Hacienda Encantada Resort in Los Cabos, for example, I stepped through a full-body disinfecting booth upon arrival. And the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun has an attendant in the lobby to push elevator buttons so that guests don’t have to use those high touch surfaces. There’s a lot of creativity going on, and that’s a great thing.
That’s not to say that there aren’t some innovative features at U.S. hotels. At the DFW airport hotel, for example, I could use a QR code on the TV screen to program my own cell phone to serve as the remote control, so I could avoid using that high-touch object.
Long story short: just because you’ve stayed at one hotel, don’t assume you’ll experience the same approach to health and hygiene at the next one. As usual, bring your own masks, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes. We all need to look out for ourselves if we must travel — and we must look out for each other, too.
About the Author
Mark Chesnut The founder and editor of LatinFlyer.com, Mark has more than 15 years of experience as a writer, editor and manager. He's worked with some of the biggest consumer, in-flight and travel trade publishers that cover Latin America.
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