Coronavirus Testing Is Now A Hotel Marketing Tool, Not Just A Safety Precaution

Some countries will feel better letting you in if you’ve been tested for SARS-CoV-2. Iceland is offering testing on arrival at the Reykjavik airport. They’ve done incredibly well battling the coronavirus and don’t want to bring it back in.

Hawaii wants to impose testing on arrival (or submission of a test within the past 72 hours) in order to avoid quarantine on arrival, plus testing every 7 days while in the islands. That simultaneously works to ‘keep coronavirus out’ while marketing Hawaii as ‘the safest place in the world’, though I don’t know how they can require tourists to have ongoing testing without requiring that for everyone.

Some hotels are realizing, like Hawaii, that requiring tests can also be a marketing tool. Just as seeing everyone else wear face masks on a plane makes many other passengers feel more at ease about their situation (though at some point this will change, and masks will become a reminder that something is wrong), knowing that everyone around you has tested negative is peace of mind as well.

Right now it’s difficult to feel safe going out into the world. There’s a lot of fear, even beyond what’s warranted by the uncertain conditions of the world. So how can a resort convince you it’s safe to stay? When they require you to be tested to stay, that means you know everyone else has been tested too or at least that’s the theory.

According to Alejandro Bataller, vice president of the Sha Wellness Clinic hotel in Alicante, Spain,

During these times, people are more concerned than ever about their safety when it comes to traveling,..Guests can have some peace of mind knowing that everyone visiting has been tested, and the spaces are constantly being sanitized, so they can truly relax and feel confident and safe.

…It is important to us that our guests not only feel safe when returning to Sha, but also feel healthier during their stay.


Credit: Sha Wellness Clinic

At Sha Wellness all guests have to be tested for COVID-19 24 to 48 hours prior to arrival, and then again once on property. They get that test, and an antibody test, included with their room rate. Hotel staff also get tested “before returning to work and regularly thereafter.”

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  1. Not a bad idea, actually.

    In an ideal world this could be done for everyone entering Disney parks. Great headlines: “Virus free, guaranteed, or your trip is on us.” But in reality the logistics are impossible. Only in a very limited area with little to no outside world contact will this have a chance of succeeding.

  2. Stupidity and fear mongering have no limit
    Saw a picture of a lady in the ocean with a mask, people are wearing socks as masks, people demand empty planes
    The biggest consequence of the pandemic is the idiotization of the masses

  3. @Doug
    Do you consider the “idiotization of the masses” to be of greater consequence than the many thousands who have died of the horrible disease? My wearing a mask is to protect YOU from me, yet you protest: who’s the idiot in this scenario?

  4. @ Masked

    We’re the idiots. Doug and his ilk run the Federal response to the pandemic. Public health, science and medicine breed fear into the masses, and that prevents the Trump economy from achieving “Greatness Again”. A left-wing conspiracy.

  5. This is all nonsense. In short order, public knowledge will catch up with the science. Almost no one gets COVID-19 “out and about” (which is why “nothing happens” when countries or states “reopen”). The disease Is mostly nosocomial (you get it in a nurse home, hospital or prison), and you can also get it working in a cold meatpacking plant or sharing an enclosed space with an infected family member or friend. You won’t get it passing by another hotel guest, just like you won’t get it in a grocery store. We need more facts and less fear.

  6. @the masked
    Yes, I honestly believe the idiotization is a worse consequence as it will have implications for years and years to come
    When you realize 90 pct of the victims were gonna die very soon anyway
    I know, I sound like a very cruel person, yet I am not

  7. @Doug — How’s this for the “idiotization of the masses.”

    A new scientific study in ‘Health Affairs’ concluded:
    “Holding the amount of voluntary social distancing constant, these results imply 10 times greater spread [of CV-19] by April 27 without shelter-in-place orders (SIPOs) (10 million cases) and more than 35 times greater spread without any of the four measures (35 million). *Our paper illustrates the potential danger of exponential spread in the absence of interventions*…”
    ______________
    See, @Doug? Based on experimental data, there would have been ~10M people infected without just 4 of the safety measures that were implemented, and ~35M people would have been infected without any of the measures implemented.

    So, here something to chew on and then you can let us know about that ‘idiotization of masses’:

    Without any safety measures enacted ~35,000,000 would have gotten infected by April 27, i.e., *in just two months*. As of today, *with safety measures in place*, 339,000 have died worldwide (fully 1/3 in the US) out of at least 5,274,000 reported cases. Now ask yourself: how many would have died if ~35,000,000 had been infected by April 27, as would likely have happened without idiots wearing face masks in the ocean?

    I am sure that under that scenario all the pandemic deniers would already have perished by now. You have more to be thankful for than you realize, and that’s despite the botched response to the pandemic.

    The safety measures did not “idiotize the masses”…au contraire! People wearing socks as masks are not the idiots. You are…

    G’day.

  8. @DSC. Economies are opening up world-wide. Given your dire forecast, please dig a hole, like a gopher, and not come out until sometime in mid-2021 when a vaccine is readily available. Bye bye.

  9. @Other — Which “dire forecast” are you referring to? I believe that the safety measures prevented the worst case scenario. It remains to see whether the rush to reopen economies leads to a second wave, but it is encouraging that people all over are exercising good judgment and not filling restaurants or bars or gyms, etc, where the measures have been lifted. It’s too early to tell, but that’s what may prevent a second wave; not the denial of what remains a clear and present danger.

    I will exercise my judgment as well and decide accordingly. I may well remain holed in until mid-2021. What I won’t do is to minimize the threat posed by this virus.

  10. Wow — not getting infected is a marketing tool? I always thought it was the government’s job to protect the American people. But then they have failed miserably (unlike, let’s say, Vietnam, which even shares a long border with China).

    And yes, of course I don’t want to catch COVID-19. Just today a friend entered the hospital with it. No thanks.

  11. @DCS, Masked, Sheep

    Did you get those projections from the same experts @ the IHME or others who proclaimed the hospitals would be overflowing with dead bodies of those who were waiting to get in? The same ones who said Florida would have 450,000 dead in two weeks? The Governors who begged for military hospital ships and field hospitals that sat mostly empty? That masks and social distancing would save humanity?

    The average age of COVID deaths in my state, PA is 79. 67% of these deaths happen in nursing homes. 95% of those had a comorbidity (between 1 and up to 4). While I agree that these vulnerable groups should be protected, and resources be spent on THEM, the rest of the media clowns hype is just the biggest false flag in history.

    You go ahead and stay home in your secure bubble with your masks, gloves, and face shields, the rest of us will enjoy life and the extra capacity at the hotels, airports and restaurants while who sit at home waiting for that next $1200 check.

  12. @Kevin — I provided my source, “Health Affairs”, and what I provided were not “projections.” They were retrospective analyses of actual data. I won’t provide the link to it because the comment would then go into moderation. Just Google-search ‘Health Affairs’ and type in a portion of the text I quoted above from the piece to find it.

    It is clear that none of what I wrote above made any sense to you because you are already convinced that the danger is not as grave as experts claim. However, should you wish to see where your misguided skepticism leads, I suggest that you find and read this piece in Yahoo news:
    “CDC Issues Alarming Triple-Fatality Report On COVID-19 Cases At Arkansas Church”

    The piece was published on the same day (05/22) that Trump was ordered governors to reopen churches and houses of worship, presumably “because of slipping poll numbers showing him losing ground to Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden. Two recent polls this month show support for the president eroding among white evangelicals and white Catholics, who had been crucial backers”:

    Your attempt to rationalize the deaths of others when the danger is clear and present is disgusting.

    Goodbye.

  13. I never thought I would live in a country where people are not allowed by their Government to go to their place of worship and pray. I do not see how anyone supports that.

  14. @Other — Don’t be obtuse! You make it sound as if these are normal times. Well, they are not. To ignore the country’s long history of religious freedom and constitutionally-guaranteed separation of church and make a statement that make it sound as if the US has turned into the USSR or China is simply ridiculous even for you.

    The measures are necessary to protect lives in extraordinary times, and if you do not believe that the measures are *necessary*, would you change your mind if you learned that at least two churches in the South *reclosed* on their own after experience CV-19 first-hand? Type the following in Google search to go to the story in “The Hill”

    “Two Southern churches forced to reclose after leaders, congregants get coronavirus”

    Here’s a synopsis:
    “Two churches in Georgia and Texas that reopened recently amid the novel coronavirus pandemic have since closed their doors again after churchgoers and religious leaders tested positive for the virus, according to multiple media reports.

    A representative for the Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle in Ringgold, Ga., told The Christian Post in a statement on Monday that the church decided earlier this month to no longer offer “in-person worship services for the foreseeable future” after confirming some of its families were “dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 virus.””

    One of the pastors died…

  15. @otherjustsaying. I never thought I would live in a country where the chump of the world would recommend taking hydroxychoroquine, get shots of Mr Clean and ultraviolet light as preventive medicine from getting a virus. I don’t see how anyone would support that. Ojs I suggest you do all three and let us know how it works.

  16. While epidemiologists keep saying that they don’t really know much at all about this virus…….

    It’s so refreshing to come here, where the non-experts who have zero intuition/insight are so supremely confident in their predictions,

    As an aside, how come these non-experts never comment on travel, airlines, or customer loyalty programs……..only on promoting behavior that encourages the virus to spread?

  17. Everyone read mean spirited Rog. This is what lefties sound like now-a-days. If you do not agree with them, they hope you DIE. His words reveal a deeply corrupted soul. Let me put this another way, if the churches are all closed, where will Rog go to confess and cleanse his soul, before passing on.

    Actually, this got me thinking about the movie “Hellboy” (2004 version). In the movie, a pig creature demon has stolen a family baby and pretended to be the baby. This is called a Changeling. Sometimes changelings think they are human, but they are not. Luckily in the movie, Hellboy got the baby back. Maybe Rog is actually a changeling, pretending to be human, but is actually a demon inside.

    So to circle back to DSC, one reason we need Churches to be open, is to protect mankind against changelings like Rog.

  18. @other just saying I don’t go to church. What makes you think I have to go to church to pray? I also don’t watch demented horror movies. So what is your boy chump doing today? Maybe spreading conspiracy theories on Twitter? Obamagate anyone?

  19. @Rog said “What makes you think I….[should] church to pray?” Your disgusting evil words. QED.

    I think even changelings can find redemption.

  20. @ojs You believe in changelings. I have no idea what that is. Like I say I don’t waste my time on demented horror movies. I leave that to fools. I suggest you hop on the NYC subway and get that ultraviolet light in your system to prevent getting the virus instead of going to church where you just might come down with it. Did chump go to church today? chump demands that churches open their doors in all states and so we all must obey the great leader. So Ojs, did you make it to church as your great leader demands?

  21. @Other — The way to gain credibility is to show signs that you can think about counter-arguments.

    Did you read the piece I suggested where two recently reopened churches in the South reclosed *on their own* after they experienced CV-19 first-hand, and the pastor of one of the churches died? So, keep going on and on about the need for churches to be opened and ignore all sound reasons — now learned by at least two churches the hard way — why extreme caution is necessary to congregate.

    For someone who is clearly a Trump sycophant to complain about anyone being “mean spirited” or having a “corrupted soul” is truly rich.

    I am through wasting my time here.

    G’day.

  22. @DCS Yeah, I remember reading about those two churches. One of them a baptist church primarily attended by African-Ameericans who are suffering the most in this crisis. The pastor admitted he made a mistake and won’t make that same mistake again. According to Ojs I need to go to church to pray or I may end up as a changeling.
    Ooh. Scary stuff. Naw, i think I’ll stay away from churches until they are completely safe. Don’ t think I’ll go to the movies either to see Hellboy or any other movies.

  23. @DSC. Your logic is absurd. Two churches opened up without taking the necessary precautions, there were deaths. For this reason, all churches have to be shut down. This logical fallacy is called an inappropriate generalization. Hmmm, well, I call it stupid.

    Of course, like hospitals, religious organizations should work on making worshiping safe. If hospitals (in a more dangerous environment) can be safe, then churches can be safe as well. Seriously, religious organizations care about their adherents, and will develop best practices when open. In any case, in these Unites States, the Government cannot use police force to shut down churches. Believe it or not, it is in the Constitution. Go read it.

    (2) You should learn to think for yourself. You cited some left wing rag (why do you let these reporters tell you what to think) that Trump decided to announce that Churches are open “presumably” (weasel word alert) because of two recent left wing polls in the media. There is no way you could know that for the following reasons:

    (i) Trump has his own internal polls which are way more reliable than the back of the envelope media polls. The reporter and you do not know what is actually in those internal polls. So “presumably” really means let’s make up nasty crap and attribute it to Trump.

    (ii) On April 14, 2020 AG Barr stated: “Even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. Thus, government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity”.

    Barr further indicated that the Justice Department would take legal action if such prohibitions to religious activity continued. Therefore, Trump’s statement has been in the works for a while and not the result of some silly polling.

    (iii) Many in the religious community supported Trump in the 2016 campaign and since. As a result, they have a direct line to the President. Trump does not need the religious community to talk to a pollster, to talk to CNN, to know what the religious community thinks. He has it directly from religious leaders.

    (iv) Finally, Trump unlike most politicians, does not poll test his statements. He says what he thinks and worries about the blow back later. Lefties and even some Rinos have been complaining about his non poll tested comments ever since he announced. You would have to be an Ostrich with your head in a hole in the ground not to know that.

    In conclusion, I have three pieces of advice. (1) Try not to be arrogant. (2) Try not to cut and paste your arguments from left wing media. Being a drone does not show intelligence. (3) Try to read critically and use a logical filter before starting to rant. Final piece of advice. Remember you have a brain that is not attached to the Borg hive mind. USE IT.

  24. @Rog. “changelings. I have no idea what that is.” Not surprising. you do not sound very educated. Changelings have only been in English literature since the Saxon times. Hellboy just put it into a movie. A changeling is where a demon, or other non-human, is substituted for a baby at birth. The changeling is often not even aware that he is not human. But he does not have a soul. One way in literature to tell, is did the parents have a natural aversion to the baby. So Rog, are your parents disgusted your actions? Animals also often do not like changelings. So Mr Rog, have any dogs or cats walked away from you when you approached? Also, changelings are naturally repelled by religious organizations (except for devil worship). Roggy, you have already admitted that you do not go to church.

    I don’t know, but your whole persona seem pretty sketchy.

  25. @ojs Aka Hellboy. I don’t really care about changelings or that it comes from some ancient Anglo-Saxon dictionary. Yeah, that’s really important in life to know that there was a changeling in some crap horror movie. Sorry, your memory is short, as I made no mention of not going to church. I said I’m not going to church during this pandemic as I can pray at home. My cat walks away from me anytime he pleases.
    Yeah, that’s great chump has his own polls done by his own people. We are supposed to believe his polls and not the polls done by independents of which there are several showing he is currently losing. Now chump is whining that he’s getting no love from Fox. So now he has to find another outlet to support his bs. Whaa…poor mr president
    I’m not a leftie but I won’t support a lying dum arse real estate broker. Stick that up your crawl…fool.

  26. @Other — You have no business calling anyone stupid. This is what you just stated:
    “Your logic is absurd. Two churches opened up without taking the necessary precautions, there were deaths.”

    Just like that your entire bluster collapses. Why do churches need to take ‘necessary precautions’ when the whole pandemic thing is just a hoax or a much-ado about nothing, and CV-19 is disease that is no worse than seasonal flu, and kills fewer people than those who die naturally?

    You are stupid and brain dead.

    Goodbye

  27. @Rog — The buffoon OJS actually quoted AG Barr!!!

    I wasted my time addressing a nutcase and I regret t.

  28. @DCS Hellboy Ojs believes in changelings so what do you expect? He reads ancient Saxon texts, which he claims we should all be familiar with. He’s actually a chump robot that believes what chump and Fox do verbatim.
    Barr, another chump apologist that pissed off so many attorneys in the Justice Department they quit their jobs en mass.
    Ho hum, another day in the life of Hellboy apologists.

  29. @DCS. I never claimed it was a hoax. Having memory problems are we?

  30. @Rog. Next time a baby cries around you, you know why. It is your changeling blood.

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