With the easing of quarantine rules in Spain, hotels began preparing for the season with strict rules. “We’ll change all hotel services to ensure minimum contact,” said Manuel Vegas of the Spanish Association of Hotel Directors about the “new normals.”

Spain is entering the first phase of its four-stage plan to return to normal life, and with the strict rules it has set, it is entering a new era in the hospitality sector. Many hotels will separate tables with screens, while gloved and masked staff will be served during the gradual hours they set. Extra beds and decorations were removed to make it easier to clean rooms, while the government recommended that carpets and minibars be removed. The opening of pools and sports centres was allowed by strict cleaning measures and social distance rules.

While credit card payments are being encouraged in hotels, the implementation of digitalization, which has long been planned for hotels, has accelerated, the Guardian reported. Spanish Association of Hotel Directors said they were working on digital solutions, such as virtual keys and ordering without interaction, even before the crisis, and showed that they care about the process of adapting to the digital world. The social distance will be maintained by booking through the most popular beaches, QR codes or artificial intelligence.