For pre-meeting safety, several hotel groups have taken steps to provide on-site COVID-19 testing at their properties.
Here’s the latest on hotel chains that offer on-site COVID-19 testing.
Hyatt
Hyatt was the first major hotel group to make on-site COVID-19 testing available across all of its resorts in Latin America, making its announcement on the day that the new ruling took effect. Prior to Hyatt’s move, other individual international hotels and some smaller hotel chains had announced similar plans.
The hotel group is offering on-site COVID-19 testing at all 19 Hyatt resorts in Latin America. Participating properties include Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Park Hyatt St. Kitts, Thompson Beach House in Playa del Carmen and several Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara properties.
The available tests will be either a rapid antigen or RT-PCR test, depending on the property, both of which are approved by the CDC guidelines. The tests will be free of charge, with two complimentary tests per guest room, per stay, and additional tests available for a fee.
Hyatt also has a plan in place for those guests who test positive. The participating resorts, excluding the Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara properties, will offer a Travel Delay Rate to guests whose travel plans have been impacted by the test results. Guests will be able to save up to 50% on room rates and up to 30% on food and beverage.
Marriott
In January, following the CDC ruling, Marriott International made COVID-19 testing options available for meeting groups at all five properties in its meetings-focused Gaylord brand. Meeting planners were given the option of pre-event or on-site testing of participants, with the choice of self-administered PCR tests, which are considered the most reliable but take up to 48 hours for results; or rapid antigen tests administered on-site by a third party testing company, which produce results within 15 minutes. The optional health protocols built on the hotel group’s Connect with Confidence program, designed to help meeting groups get back to in-person events with a range of options including daily and/or pre-arrival health screening questions via a mobile app, and daily temperature checks for attendees entering the event area.
Following the rollout of COVID-19 testing at the Gaylord properties in Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and Colorado, Marriott has extended its program, to offer complimentary testing for up to two people per room at select properties. The rapid antigen tests are available for guests staying three nights or longer at the following properties: Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa; W Punta de Mita; The Westin Resort and Spa, Puerto Vallarta; The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort; Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, Los Cabos; Zadun, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve; Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino and The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba; JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa; Marriott Cancun Resort and The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun.
Marriott also introduced a similar contingency policy to Hyatt with a Discounted Extended Stay of up to 50% off its Flexible Rate available to guests whose travel plans are disrupted by a positive test result.
Hilton
Hilton announced in March that it would begin offering a list of third-party COVID-19 testing and health screening providers to meeting planners through its EventReady Playbook.
The EventReady Playbook is part of Hilton’s EventReady with CleanStay global cleanliness program for meetings and events. As well as the list of testing providers, the EventReady Playbook was recently expanded with a new section on hybrid event solutions.
COVID-19 testing options available for meeting planners include self-testing options, on-site same-day testing, handheld temperature check devices, and personal health screening checklists. Providers of rapid antigen and PCR testing listed in the Playbook include Impact Health, Vault Health and SalivaDirect. Hilton will not be involved in the transaction or administering of the tests made available via third-party testing companies.
Accor
Accor, the hospitality group whose brands include Fairmont, Sofitel, Orient Express, and Raffles, has partnered with healthcare-technology provider x.labs to provide optional COVID-19 testing for guests at all of its properties in the U.S. and Canada.
Testing options include self-administered PreCheck PCR tests sent to the homes of attendees, which must be conducted within 72 hours of arrival at the Accor property holding the event. Results take between 24 and 48 hours to process, and event planners can monitor attendees’ compliance with the test through a PreCheck app.
Alternatively, planners can opt for rapid antigen COVID-19 testing through the concierge function on the Accor website, but must arrange for an on-site healthcare professional to administer the tests to attendees on property. Planners can track results in real time via x.labs’ READY app to monitor which attendees have been cleared the enter the event.
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