COVID-19 impact: No more paper menus! Your favourite hotels are ready to enable contactless safety measures

For the months spanning the complete lockdown, birthdays, marriage anniversaries and so many occasions came and went.

COVID-19 impact: Your favourite hotels are now rolling out new safety programs! Right from doing away with paper menus to providing world class cuisine via contactless dining, most restaurants and hotels across India are rolling out strict measures to ensure a safe and comfortable dining experience for customers.

For the months spanning the complete lockdown, birthdays, marriage anniversaries and so many occasions came and went. While people didn’t stop sharing their special moments, all the culinary experiments started brewing in many Indian homes like never before!

As we talk about the ‘new normal’, most fine dining restaurants and premium hotels across the country are looking at new ways to connect with their loyal customers and to ensure their peace of mind when they come to stay.

On the website of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, travelers can refer to their comprehensive safety program ‘Leela Suraksha’. This has prioritized safety keeping in mind concerns of travellers and customers in the context of COVID-19.

From contactless check-ins and check-outs, regular temperature checks of all guests, mandatory use of masks, PPE kits, gloves by hotel associates and deployment of a hygiene task force, the guidelines look to ensure the highest safety standards.

For those who want to savour fine gourmet dining, their restaurant seating ensures social distancing. In addition, e-menus make it super safe for guests to place their food orders. All vegetables and fruits are sanitised, dishes are washed at 80 degrees Celsius and the use of sanitisers is mandated in the restaurants.

In an immediate response to COVID-19 pandemic, Hilton also announced the ‘Hilton CleanStay’ program globally in April 2020. The hotel website has shared some of its key features which include a contactless digital room key and Cleanstay Room Seal to add an extra layer of assurance to let guests know that their rooms have not been accessed after being cleaned.

Other features include the use of electrostatic sprayers with charged disinfecting mist combined with ultraviolet light to sanitize objects and surfaces.

In addition to these measures, the Hilton has rolled out its ‘Dream away’ offer to customers.

At ITC Hotels, the celebration of their new takeaway dining experience will include chef specialities that are crafted and curated with utmost care. Chef specialties including Kathi rolls, Bisi Bele Bhaath and Dal Makhani will be among their signature dishes that celebrate ITC’s ‘celebrated tastes’ in terms of their culinary offerings.

Delhi’s popular restaurant ‘Mahabelly’, which is renowned for Kerala cuisine, has launched several unique initiatives to bring back its customers. For example, the restaurant announced its ‘Home Made Better’ offer on its Facebook page, featuring a specially curated home style menu with focus on small sized, pocket friendly food serving small portions with a tagline ‘Stay safe,not hungry’. The restaurant shares social media updates in different ways such as putting out a vibrant infographic on safety measures being taken in its kitchen. These also add to the sense of accountability that is fast becoming essential to win back customers.

With several premium hotels across the country rolling out safety and hygiene oriented measures on war footing, the overall hospitality landscape is set to witness a revolutionary change and a lasting experience for guests and travellers.