COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The hotel industry in Bryan College Station slows down during the summer because students and their families aren’t around. But, hotels in the area have either slowed down significantly or even had to halt their operations during the last months due to COVID-19.
With students gone for the semester and many summer events being canceled, the hotels in Bryan College Sation continue to take a drastic hit.
“We live in a college town, and all of the graduation ceremonies, students receiving their rings, all of that, has been physically canceled, to virtual graduation ceremonies and things like that. With us being the travel industry obviously, a lot of people have been cut down tremendously," said Vineyard Courts Hotel manager Victoria Jackson.
The most prioritized concern for hotels now is how they add onto their existing sanitation practices to ensure cleanliness for staff and guests.
“We are using new chemicals that are recommended by the CDC and WHO, those are things we’re going to be keeping in place, just because the shelter in place is going to be lifted, people are going to be able to have meetings again, go to meetings. At this point, where we are with cleaning is where we’re always going to be with cleaning," said Holiday Inn Express College Station dual sales director Ashley Honeycutt.
As Texas is slowly reopening up its economy, the hotel industry is not optimistic that business will bounce back to what it was right before the virus outbreak.
“A lot of people are talking about this being the new normal. I know a lot of new cases are still popping up in our area, so I don’t see things picking up tremendously for the middle of May. I know June and July there are events that will be canceled until next year even," said Jackson.
Many hotels across the nation are lowering their rates during this time as well.
Holiday Inn Express College Station is offering a promotion of two free room nights for all active-duty military and healthcare workers during the entire month of May. You just need to provide identification upon check-in. You can contact them at 979-846-8700.
