The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many changes to how owners operated their properties. Rooms were cleaned only upon check-out unless requested by guests. Breakfast service was curtailed, and amenities were shut down. These changes were expected to be restored after the pandemic subsided.
But some owners began to reconsider how to provide these services in a post-pandemic world. With a nod to the airline industry, owners like MCR Hotels, one of the largest hotel owners in the country with 110 properties in 33 states, said it will experiment with reduced room rates with additional fees for amenities. The firm will experiment this new feature at New York’s High Line Hotel and the retro hit TWA Hotel located at JFK Airport.
At these locations, MCR Hotels will charge $25 to use the pool on weekends or for a day pass at the gym. For guests who want an early check in, it will cost $20 and breakfast will cost an additional $10-$25. Tyler Morse, CEO of MCR Hotels, said that this new model tailors the appropriate cost of a stay to guests and their varying needs.
“There are business travelers and leisure travelers. Some people want to go to the pool. Some people want to go to the gym. Some people don’t want to do either,” he said. “But by having all of the products together for one price, it forces some people to pay for products that they don’t want or are never going to consume.”
These new changes could also save some travelers money if they aren’t planning to use any amenities. “By going to our cart model, it unbundles the product, it allows us to charge a lower rate for those who just want a sleeping room,” Morse explained. “You can buy the products that you want.”
