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COVID briefs: Bill Gates: Biz travel will tank | Thai hotels call for relief

Bill Gates says business travel will decrease by 50%

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates predicts that over 50% of business travel will disappear in the post-coronavirus working world. On top of that, he also predicts that “30% of days in the office will disappear.” Gates made his predictions in an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin during the New York Times’ Dealbook conference on November 17. He added that from now on there will be a “very high threshold” for traveling to carry out business meetings. 

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Thai hotel industry tells government to reopen borders

Thailand’s major hotel chains called for debt relief, tax changes and outright subsidies to cover employee wages, saying the industry will not survive without them as long as borders remain closed to mass tourism. Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn met November 16 with executives from 10 major hotel operators and the Thai Hotels Association, which delivered a bleak outlook for Thailand’s hospitality industry: Reopen the borders to tourists or bail out the industry, or soon there may not be an industry to bail out.

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Hawaii Tourism authority accepting hotel safety plans

The Hawaii Tourism Authority is now accepting COVID-19 health and safety plans from hotel operators across the state, a new requirement of state Governor David Ige’s latest emergency proclamation. Signed last week by the governor, the proclamation calls for hotels to create plans that identify the measures the operator has enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and what guests may expect in terms of service, accommodations and required safety protocols. It also makes the hotel operator responsible for accommodating guests on property or in an alternative location if they become positive for COVID-19 or are identified as close contacts of a person who is positive for the virus.

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Hyatt creates initiative targeting global small businesses

Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corp. has launched an initiative to support and collaborate with small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, “Hyatt Loves Local,” involves nearly 60 Hyatt hotels and resorts in destinations across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, which are providing complimentary resources and exposure to select local businesses that have struggled during the pandemic. In turn, these businesses are able to continue operating in different ways and offer Hyatt guests local experiences. 

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