Omaha's hotel industry took a major hit when the COVID-19 virus slowed business across the country.
At the Omaha Hilton they are working hard to make customers feel more comfortable staying away from home. A cell phone is now a valuable tool for contact-free service.
“We have what’s called a digital key so you can actually select your room, go to your room all on your smartphone device,” General Manager Robert Sabin tells 6 News.
You can also make a contact-free food order. You can also use your digital key to access the elevator and it’s your cell phone that actually unlocks the sealed door to your room.
“You can as a guest stay as contact-free with other guests and social distance as much as possible, we’re finding a lot of people like that advantage,” Sabin says.
Sabin says Hilton went to the mayo clinic to get advice on how to better protect the hotel guests and employees from COVID-19. They've stepped up their cleaning process, making sure to pay extra attention to often touched items in the rooms.
“We’re just doing everything we can to bring the consumers back and to be confident as leisure travel begins at some point, we’re going to see the event and concert business come back and it’s going to be led by creating consumer confidence,” Sabin says.
Hilton management tells 6 News that all employees wear masks, but guests are not required to wear them.
(Photo: 6 News)