As the COVID-19 outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 becomes increasingly “globalized,” it appears to have spread across the United States as well; see here.
Earlier, hotel groups in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region rolled out policies such as elite status extensions and hotel award certificate extensions; for a quick summary, see this article. Hyatt has been especially generous, covering the entire Asia-Pacific region; see here. Given that the outbreak has in fact spread across Europe and the United States, will members in Europe and North America receive similar support?
BEST WESTERN is the first hotel group to say yes.
Official Announcement
Key Details
- All members will keep their current status through January 31, 2022, with no stay requirement.
- Members who were downgraded at the end of 2019 will be “upgraded” back to their previous tier and keep it through January 31, 2022.
Thoughts
With the impact of the outbreak, hotel occupancy is certain to drop significantly. Extending elite status can give members reassurance so they can continue enjoying elite benefits once the outbreak is over. During the extension period, at least until the outbreak ends, hotel occupancy is unlikely to be high anyway, so preserving more elite members should not create meaningful losses for hotels. After the outbreak ends, returning stays from those members could help generate additional revenue.
So will Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt also offer global extensions? If the outbreak continues to spread, and now that someone has broken the ice, there is a good chance they will.