Arne Sorenson, Marriott International Inc.’s CEO, said the deadly coronavirus pandemic will change the experience of staying in a hotel — at least temporarily — according to a report by Bloomberg.
He told Bloomberg Television’s Leadership Live broadcast on Monday (April 20) no one knows when the lodging industry will rebound from impacts of COVID-19.
But one thing is clear, he said. Marriott is devising new ways to keep guests and hotel workers safe, including improved cleaning, hotel employees wearing masks, and social distancing measures.
“I’m hopeful those things aren’t permanent, but instead are about communicating through the operating tools that you can be safe in our hotels, whether you work there or are staying there,” Sorenson told Bloomberg.
Like other hotel chains, the world’s largest hospitality company reported hotel revenues declined 60 percent in March and it’s expected to get worse.
Marriott has closed about one quarter of its 7,300 hotels worldwide. Of that number, 1,000 are in the U.S. The Maryland-based hotel giant has approximately 1.4 million rooms and employs about 130,000 workers in the U.S. alone.
One month ago, Marriott began laying off much of its workforce as its losses totaled $1.4 billion weekly due to the coronavirus.
