Want to know when you can stay in a hotel again? Read our coronavirus hotel updates guide for the latest news and advice on when luxury hotels will reopen to tourists.
When Will Hotels Reopen?
Many countries have now reopened hotels alongside other public venues like restaurants, spas, cinemas and shopping centres. However, while some opened immediately after travel restrictions were lifted, others are still closed for now as a result of each country's phased approach. Below we list the latest information about which hotels are open for business and where you'll be able to stay later this summer.
When Will Hotels Reopen in The UK?
on July 4, the United Kingdom was able to reopen its tourism industry. This meant that hotels, as well as pubs and restaurants, have started welcoming clients again.
Luxury hotels including Cliveden House in Berkshire,The Grove in Hertfordshire, Coworth Park in Ascot and Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire have now reopened. In London, 45 Park Lane, The Dorchester and Rocco Forte hotel Brown's are now all open. The Ritz has opened its restaurants although accommodations remain closed.
In Scotland, Gleneagels Golf Resort, Links House and The Balmoral in Edinburgh are among the many hotels that have now reopened.
When Will Hotels Open in Ireland?
According to the tourist board website, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland both began reopening hotels in early July. You can read more about that here.
A number of luxury Irish hotels have now reopened, including The Killarney Park in County Kerry, Ashford Castle in Cong and The Merrion and The Westbury hotels in Dublin. Adare Manor, a 5-star country estate in Limerick set to host the 2026 Ryder Cup on its golf course, reopened at the end of July.
When Will Hotels Reopen in Florida, US?
The yachting hub of Florida had seen a varied approach to lockdown, with some hotels opening back up in May (such as the Ritz-Carlton Naples resort) while others never properly closed down at all during the pandemic. There was no clear-cut date on when hotels were set to open, but the process began back in June when the sunshine state moved into the second phase of its reopening plans.
Recent reopenings of luxury hotels in Florida include the Mandarin Oriental Miami, The Setai Miami Beach, Faena Miami Beach, The Brazilian Court Hotel, Mr. C Miami Coconut Grove, Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, Acqualina Resort, The Biltmore and Fisher Island Hotel and Resort.
When Will Hotels Reopen in California, US?
On June 5, individual counties in California were given the go-ahead to start reopening the tourism industry. This means that hotels and holiday rentals, alongside restaurants, bars, wineries, campgrounds and museums can now slowly resume business. Regions that have now reopened hotels include Los Angeles, San Fransisco and San Diego, which began the process in May, and Paso Robles and Napa Valley at the beginning of June.
Luxury hotels already open in California include Nobu Hotel Palo Alto, Malibu Beach Inn, The Beverly Hills and Bel-Air Hotels, Hotel Figueroa Downtown Los Angeles an the Palm Parker Springs resort.
When Will Hotels Open Back Up in Europe?
Almost all European countries have now reopened hotels to travellers. However, even if governments have said that hotels in their country have reopened, travellers are advised to check before making plans as each individual hotel may have a different approach.
For example, we know that Italy has allowed luxury hotels to reopen, but a report by the Italian hoteliers’ association, Federalberghi, found that only 40 percent of Italian hotels are currently open. Over 20 percent are expected to be closed for the rest of the summer.
Which Countries Have Already Reopened Hotels?
Cyprus began reopening hotels, including the Anassa resort, at the end of June and beginning of July.
Alongside shops, markets and restaurants, Switzerland has already opened some of its hotels, including Grand Resort Bad Ragaz on May 11 and Suvretta House in St Moritz on July 10. On June 2, travel restrictions were eased across neighbouring France, allowing hotels to also begin reopening as of this date.
Montenegro started reopening its hotels back in May seaside resorts including The Chedi Luštica Bay are now open for business again. As of May 11, some hotels in Spain have also started to reopen and on June 8, hotels in the Canary Islands were allowed to reopen too.
At the end of May, approximately 133 hotels were reopened in Croatia, with social-distancing measures in place. Adriatic Luxury Hotels (ALH), a group that owns a number of the country's best resorts, has stated more specifically on its website that the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace is now open for business and visitors are allowed on the outdoor terrace of Hotel Kompas.
On June 4, St Lucia opened 1,500 hotel rooms in resorts across the nation, including at luxury resort Anse Chastanet. The Maldives also began reopening its hotels in the month of June.
From May 27, Turkey began reopening its hotels, including he Hillside Beach Club in Fethiye and the two Four Seasons resorts in Istanbul. Face masks are still mandatory in all public areas, though.
In Portugal, the Algarve tourist board has also said that it is ready to reopen to tourists. Many hotels, including Quinta do Lago resort and Six Senses Douro Valley, are already back in business.
In Scandinavia, Norway has now reopened some of its hotels, including the historic Hotel Union Øye in Norangsfjorden. Sweden never went into full lockdown so most hotels have remained open throughout the pandemic. Further north, Iceland has also reopened a number of hotels including the luxury mountain resort Deplar Farm.
Which Luxury Hotels Can I Stay at Now?
In Italy, Milan's Principe di Savoia and The Savoy in Florence are the latest additions in a series of recent reopenings. Other hotels now open include Amalfi Coast hotel Monastero Santa Rosa, Palazzo Avino in Ravello, Rome's Rocco Forte House and Hotel Eden, the Palazzo Cristo and Grand Hotel Dei Dogi in Venice, The Mandarin Oriental and Villa d'Este hotels on Lake Como and Puglia's Paragon 700 boutique hotel.
A number of hotels in Monaco are now officially open for business this summer, including the key players: Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, the Port Palace and the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo.
Parisian hotspots Fauchon L’Hôtel, Le Meurice and Hôtel Plaza Athénée are all now open for business. Throughout France, other hotels that have recently reopened include L’Hôtel de Toiras in Ile de Re, Hôtel Chais Monnet in Cognac, Hôtel Crillon Le Brave and Terre Blanche in Provence, Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, and St Tropez hotels Villa Marie, Hôtel Lou Pinet and Cheval Blanc.
In the US, some of New England's luxury seaside resorts are now open including the Wauwinet, the White Elephant Hotel, Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn.
Luxury hotel collection Divani reopened some of its Greek sites on June 1, including the Divani Caravel and Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso resorts in Athens. Other resorts now open for business in Greece include Costa Navarino in the Peloponnese, Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel in Crete, Danai Beach Resort & Villas in Halkidiki and Elivi hotel in Skiathos. Blue Palace Resort and Spa is set to open July 15.
In Spain, visitors can now check in to the Marbella Club hotel, Castillo Hotel Son Vida in Mallorca and Atzaró Hotel Ibiza among others. Over in Tenerife, Royal Hideaway Corales Resort is now open too.
In Croatia, ALH has announced that, alongside those hotels already open, the Hotel Odisej on the Croatian island of Mljet opened on June 6, while Hotel Excelsior in Dubrovnik opened mid-June.
For those hoping to travel outside of Europe, Hotel Esencia in Mexico and Silversands Grenada are now open, as well as Maldivian resorts Cheval Blanc Randheli and Milaidhoo private island. Over on the Turks and Caicos islands, celebrity hotspot Como Parrot Cay is open as well as a number of hotels from the Hartling Group.
In Asia, the Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui in Thailand has been open since June 1, which is the same date on which the Teardrop Hotels chain opened branches in Sri Lanka. The Legian Seminyak, Bali, reopened on June 20.
A number of luxury hotels in Malaysia were reopened in June and July, including Pangkor Laut Resort, the Cameron Highlands Resort, Tanjong Jara Resort and The Majestic Malacca. The Four Seasons Resort Langkawi is also open and is currently offering a 50% price cut on spa services to Malaysian nationals booking in a staycation at the hotel.
Luxury hotel brand Aman has now opened various branches, including those in Turkey, the US, Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia. Six Senses is another luxury brand that has begun reopening locations, including the Douro Valley and Kaplankaya resorts, which both opened on June 1.
How are Hotels Preparing to Welcome Guests?
Hotels that are reopening to the public this summer will need to implement new practices in order to ensure that guests can stay safe during their visit. How hotels will decide to introduce new social distancing and health sanitisation measures will largely depend on government advice.
The state of California, for example, has made a general statement that hotels will no longer include magazines and menus in rooms, will prohibit access to public ice machines and that a limited number of guests will be allowed in elevators at one time. The new mandate also asks that pillow protectors be changed daily and used linens removed in single-use, sealed plastic bags. Below, we offer a further insight into how some individual hotels are planning to welcome guests back post-coronavirus.
English hotel Cliveden House reopened at the beginning of July with stringent health protocols in place. The famous hotel which hosted the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, the night before her royal wedding, has announced that staff members are now subject to daily temperature checks before entering the building, are required to wash their hands every 20 minutes and will wear PPE where appropriate.
Guests at Cliveden House are asked to complete a pre-arrival health questionnaire and will have their temperature taken at the hotel entrance - should they present a raised temperature they will be declined entry and offered a refund or reschedule option. Guests will also receive an amenity kit on arrival, which will include hand sanitiser, wipes and a face covering. The hotel will is also using cashless payment and has prohibited guests from using valet parking services or public bathrooms for the time being.
The Four Seasons brand has announced that it will be implementing a "Lead With Care" programme in its hotels, which is a full-scale health and safety plan designed with Johns Hopkins Medicine International.
In French Polynesia, The Brando hotel has announced that it will open with new sanitisation procedures in place, including installing hand sanitiser stations throughout the resort, using floor markers and signage to assist guests in social distancing, frequently disinfecting public areas and pool furniture and removing non-essential items such as magazines from rooms.
Some boutique hotels are even offering guests extra privacy with the option of an exclusive, total buyout of the hotel. One such place with this offer on the table is Links House in the Scottish Highlands, which has just 15 rooms.
Additionally, staff at Links House have been re-trained to use hospital grade cleaning chemicals and will ensure that everything from door handles and thermostats, to light switches and TV remotes, are disinfected frequently. A deep clean of each room will take place once a day while guests are out and a 'room clean' seal will be placed on doors once this process is completed to ensure the rooms are not re-entered that day.
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