How Hotels Are Adapting to New Needs in a New Era

While the typical hotel stay has been turned upside down by the pandemic, some innovative properties are thinking up new ways to deliver hospitality to guests in need of a recharge. Here’s a look at a few clever solutions properties have dreamed up — all designed to make checking in a bit safer and more comfortable.

Door-to-door Transportation

Through a partnership with private jet company XO, the Resort at Paws Up, in Montana, offers discounted flights to and from the resort. The Abbey Inn & Spa, in New York’s Hudson Valley, meanwhile, can arrange travel from New York City in a private railcar.

Grocery Runs

The Roundtree, Amagansett, a revamped and rebranded hotel with 10 rooms and five private cottages in the Hamptons, will pick up groceries — and grab local takeout for guests, too.

Private Experiences

Some hotels are leaning in to activities that are naturally socially distant. The Asilomar Hotel, on California’s Monterey Peninsula, is a haven for bird-watching, and the resort gives free access to apps and online classes from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to help novices get up to speed. On the East Coast, Cape Cod’s Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club pared down its larger group tours in favor of private outings and classes with oyster farmers, yoga teachers, golf instructors, and pickleball coaches.

Undercover Arrival

The Park Hyatt New York takes privacy to the extreme with its 2,300-square-foot Presidential and Royal suites. The hotel can arrange helicopter transfers from N.Y.C.-area airports to Manhattan, a personal car and driver during your stay, and in-room butler service. Suite guests also get access to a semi-secret entrance so they can bypass the main lobby.

A version of this story first appeared in the September 2020 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline Hotels Are Adapting to New Needs, in a New Era.