How Hotel Brands Have Responded to COVID-19

The hotel industry has responded to the coronavirus pandemic with enhanced cleaning procedures, social distancing and face mask requirements as well as flexible booking and cancellation policies. However, some companies have been more effective than others. NerdWallet recently compared eight major brands based on their flexible change and cancellation policies as well as health and social distancing policies such as mask enforcement, social distancing in common areas and low-contact check-in procedures to determine which have handled the COVID-19 crisis the best.

Best Western recorded the largest disparity between flexibility and health grades, scoring a B+ for its health policies and a dismal D for its flexible booking policies. Interestingly, Best Western's C+ isn't the lowest overall grade.

Choice Hotels tied for the worst grade overall, receiving a C- for its response to the pandemic. Like Best Western, Choice failed to consistently offer flexible options for new and existing bookings, NerdWallet found.

One of three brands to earn an A-, Hilton's flexible cancellation policy and comprehensive CleanStay cleanliness program helped it earn an A+ for flexibility and B- for health.

Hyatt was the big winner in NerdWallet's study, earning A's across the board thanks to its customer-first policies spanning multiple categories. The company also received a boost from its recently announced face mask policy, which took effect on Monday.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently implemented the IHG Clean Promise on its way to earning a B+ for health and a B for flexibility for an overall grade of B+, which surprisingly only ranks fifth-best among the eight brands that NerdWallet analyzed.

Like Hyatt and other brands, Marriott has begun requiring guests to wear face masks in public spaces. While the hotel giant earned a B+ for health, it fared even better in terms of flexibility, receiving an A in that category for an overall grade of A-.

NerdWallet found that Radisson consistently offered top-tier flexibility for guests, awarding the brand an A+ in the all-important category and a B- for health for an overall grade of A-, which ties Hilton and Marriott for second-best.

Wyndham ties Choice Hotels for the worst overall grade of C-, based on NerdWallet's research. The chain earned a respectable B- for flexibility but a dreadful D for health despite its guest safety-focused Count on Us initiative. The health grade is the worst of any of the eight brands analyzed.