So far, there have been 2.34 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine given in the United States. 

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) created a three-phase recommendation for the vaccine rollout, starting with Phase 1b that includes frontline essential workers and people 75 years or older, Phase 1c which includes people 64-75 years old, people 16-64 years old with underlying medical conditions and other essential workers such as transportation, food service, construction and then finally Phase 2 which includes everyone else. 

The AHLA called on governors to include hospitality workers as part of the 1b vaccine group since they have continued to work through the pandemic and interact with multiple people throughout their day, however, no updates have been announced. 

We recently surveyed our audience to find out how they feel about getting vaccinated and their expectations of the. effects vaccines will have on the hospitality industry. 

Below is a summary of the responses. Thank you to everyone who participated. 

76.5% of our audience said that they plan on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them, with only 12% answering no. Some of our respondents felt that hospitality industry workers, especially front-of-house workers, should be part of Phase 1b since most hotels remained open throughout the pandemic. 

Once hospitality workers are able to get vaccinated, 78% answered that they would be comfortable showing proof of vaccination to their employers, and 46% answered that a financial incentive would not increase their likelihood of getting vaccinated (51% said it would). Some of our respondents did note that they believe that getting vaccinated should be voluntary for everyone. 

52% of our audience said that they look to their healthcare providers for the latest news on COVID-19 vaccines, and only 18% look to their employers for news and updates. Other sources span from local government agencies, federal sources, and news sources. 

How will vaccinations affect travel and hospitality?

The expectation is that as more people are able to get vaccinated, travel will pick up and reservations will along with that. 59% of hospitality workers are expecting guests to receive the vaccine before traveling, however noting that people need to continue wearing masks that fully cover their noses and mouths to continue protecting everyone until the CDC announces otherwise. 

Our audience believes is it likely (56%) to highly likely (26%) that travel will bounce back in 2021 after vaccines become widely available to everyone. Some noted that if airplanes are able to have full capacity, therefore, hotels should be allowed the same as long as everyone wears masks and proper cleaning procedures are followed. 

As more people return to travel, hospitality companies will have to make sure that they are able to continue keeping guests and employees safe through sanitation standards, having PPE available for everyone, and clearly stating what their guidelines are. 72% of our audience said that they feel like their current or most recent employer has provided a safe workplace during the pandemic, however, some noted that they were expected to purchase their own PPE. 

Generally, hospitality workers are ready to get back to work and welcome back hospitality guests as long as everyone continues to do their part in keeping each other safe by wearing the proper protection and sanitation measures.