Trust building
Hybrid meeting rooms
New York City-headquartered HOK recently partnered with the engineering firm Buro Happold on a checklist for retrofitting existing buildings to be safer. J. Lee Rofkind, principal and regional leader of hospitality with HOK, says that one of the ways to encourage trust is to make housekeeping clearly visible. "Seeing ladies with baskets of cleaning goods reassures hotel guests," she notes. "It gives people a sense of security."
She recommends using disinfecting robots and online check-ins — hotel initiatives that the pandemic accelerated. "Hotels can staff one person on the side to guide those who require assistance," Rofkind recommends. "It frees up staff members to do more humane, touchy-feely things."
Architectural details that can reinforce a clean environment include closing off spaces that cannot be reached for maintenance on a regular basis, such as those above upper cabinet displays. Rofkind predicts all-day-dining restaurants will offer more live cooking stations rather than food reheating in casseroles, by way of reassuring the guests that the food being served is fresh and made to their liking. "We see smaller buffet spreads or dishes served to guests at their table, with less food wastage," she says.
