As Business Trickles Back, Hotels Compete on Cleanliness

Pedestrians, wearing protective face masks walk past the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City on March 27, 2020. Justin Heiman/Getty Images

Marriott, Hilton, and other big hotel companies are used to competing on price or perks. Now they’re competing on cleanliness.

From masked clerks at the front desk to shuttered buffets, hotels are making visible changes in the wake of the pandemic. Signage will tout new cleaning regimens: Red Roof Inns promise “RediClean,” while Hilton boasts of “CleanStay with Lysol.”