Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

USTA releases guide on returning to normal travel

Sanitation and safety are key to restoring consumer confidence in the industry

FROM INCREASED SANITATION to better health screenings for employees, the U.S. Travel Association has prepared a list of steps the travel industry must take to return to normalcy after the COVID-19 outbreak. It has submitted the report, “Travel in the New Normal,” to the White House and state governors to provide guidance.

The travel industry had lost 8 million jobs as of May 1 and the overall economic impact of the pandemic is projected to be nine times worse than 9/11, according to USTA. Similar to policies recently released by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and several hotel companies, the document aims to restore the public’s trust in the safety of travel.


“We want political leaders and the public alike to see that our industry is setting a very high standard for reducing the risk of coronavirus in our businesses, and that the practices in place to achieve that standard are consistent through every phase of the travel experience,” said Roger Dow, USTA president and CEO. “As travel reopens, travelers need the confidence that safety measures are in place from their departure to their return home.”

Restoring consumer confidence would lead to a faster economic recovery, but Dow said the decision must be based on official confirmation.

“We will not encourage people to travel until public health experts and authorities have made it clear that it’s the right time to do so,” Dow said. “Our industry’s focus is on preparing for that moment, and on demonstrating that our preparations are comprehensive and informed by the counsel of top experts. We are very determined to return to travel and the new normal as quickly as circumstances will allow.”

USTA’s guide lists six main issues on which travel businesses must focus:

  • Adapting operations, modifying employee practices and/or redesigning public spaces to help protect employees and customers.
  • Consider implementing touchless solutions, where practical, to limit the opportunity for virus transmission.
  • Adopt and implement enhanced sanitation procedures specifically designed to combat the transmission of the coronavirus.
  • Promote health screening measures for employees and isolate workers with possible COVID-19 symptoms and provide health resources to customers.
  • Establish a set of procedures aligned with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance should an employee test positive for COVID-19.
  • Follow best practices in food and beverage service to promote health of employees and customers.

"The ‘Travel in the New Normal’ guidance—as well as the entire effort to produce this work—can serve as a model for collaboration between the business and medical communities that forges a path toward healing both the public health and the economy,” Dow said. “This collaboration is something that should help our customers, our businesses and the industry as a whole to move beyond the most challenging period any of us has ever faced.”

More for you

Exterior view of the modern eight-story MC Hotel in Montclair, NJ, with a curved glass facade and rooftop structure, located in a vibrant downtown area, 2025

Stonebridge adds MC Hotel to Autograph Collection

Stonebridge Cos. Welcomes MC Hotel to Autograph Collection

STONEBRIDGE COS. RECENTLY added the 159-room MC Hotel in Montclair, New Jersey, to its Autograph Collection portfolio. The property is owned in partnership with CSP MC Partners LP, an affiliate of Circle Squared Alternative Investments, led by CEO Jeff Sica.

Denver-based Stonebridge is a privately owned hotel management company founded by Chairman Navin Dimond and led by President and CEO Rob Smith.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian Hospitality unveils inaugural ‘Women of Color Power List’

Asian Hospitality unveils inaugural ‘Women of Color Power List’

Women of Color Power List 2025 Debuts at AAHOACON 2025

ASIAN MEDIA GROUP USA, publisher of Asian Hospitality magazine, launched the first-ever “Women of Color Power List 2025” at the 2025 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, honoring 51 women reshaping the U.S. hospitality industry. The publication is the first to spotlight the achievements of women of color, recognizing their resilience, innovation, and leadership.

Asian Media Group Managing Editor Kalpesh Solanki, Executive Editor Shailesh Solanki, and Chief Operating Officer Aditya Solanki announced the list during the conference.

Keep ReadingShow less
AAHOALending.com લોન્ચ 2025

AAHOA, બ્રિજ AAHOALending.com લોન્ચ કરે છે

AAHOA અને બ્રિજે AAHOALending.com ને AAHOACON 2025 માં રજૂ કર્યું

AAHOA અને બ્રિજે AAHOALending.com લોન્ચ કર્યું, જે હોસ્પિટાલિટી પર કેન્દ્રિત ડિજિટલ ધિરાણ પ્લેટફોર્મ છે. તે AAHOA સભ્યોને 150 થી વધુ ધિરાણકર્તાઓની ઍક્સેસ પ્રદાન કરે છે, જેમાં વધુને વધુ લોકોને નિયમિતપણે ઉમેરવાની યોજના છે, આ પ્લેટફોર્મ વપરાશકર્તાઓને ધિરાણ વિકલ્પોની તુલના કરવાની, શ્રેષ્ઠ દરો અને સુરક્ષિત ભંડોળ શોધવાની મંજૂરી આપે છે.

કોફાઉન્ડર અને CEO રોહિત માથુરની આગેવાની હેઠળના બ્રિજને ક્લબ બ્લુ ઇન્ડસ્ટ્રી પાર્ટનર તરીકે નિયુક્ત કરવામાં આવ્યા છે, જે AAHOAના પ્રોગ્રામમાં સર્વોચ્ચ સ્તર છે, તેના 300 ભાગીદારોમાંથી માત્ર 12 જ લાયકાત ધરાવે છે, એમ બંનેએ સંયુક્ત નિવેદનમાં જણાવ્યું હતું.

Keep ReadingShow less
2025માં મંદીની સંભાવના 50 ટકા : HAMA સર્વે

2025માં મંદીની સંભાવના 50 ટકા : HAMA સર્વે

HAMA 2025 સર્વે: 49% મેનેજર્સ મંદીની આશંકા ધરાવે છે

હોસ્પિટાલિટી એસેટ મેનેજર્સ એસોસિએશનના સ્પ્રિંગ 2025 ઇન્ડસ્ટ્રી આઉટલુક સર્વેક્ષણમાં અંદાજે 49 ટકા ઉત્તરદાતાઓ 2025 માં અમેરિકામાં મંદીની અપેક્ષા રાખે છે, જે 2024ના પાનખર સર્વેક્ષણમાં 19 ટકાથી વધુ છે. ટોચની ત્રણ ચિંતાઓ માંગ, ટેરિફ અને DOGE કટ અને વેતનમાં વધારો વચ્ચેનો જોડાણ છે.

HAMA સર્વેક્ષણમાં જાણવા મળ્યું છે કે લગભગ 55 ટકા ઉત્તરદાતાઓએ તેમની વર્તમાન વ્યૂહરચનાના ભાગ રૂપે બ્રાન્ડ અથવા મેનેજમેન્ટ ફેરફારો કર્યા છે અથવા કરવાની યોજના બનાવી છે.

Keep ReadingShow less
AAHOA Bridge AAHOALending 2025

AAHOA, Bridge launch AAHOALending.com

AAHOA and Bridge Unveil AAHOALending.com at AAHOACON 2025

AAHOA AND BRIDGE launched AAHOALending.com, a digital lending platform focused on hospitality. It offers AAHOA members access to more than 150 lenders, with plans to add more regularly, while allowing users to compare financing options, find the best rates and secure funding.

Bridge, led by Cofounder and CEO Rohit Mathur, has been named a Club Blue Industry Partner, the highest level in AAHOA’s program, with only 12 of its 300 partners qualifying, the duo said in a joint statement.

Keep ReadingShow less